The Dark Heir
by PersephoneJackson123
Summary: •"They pushed me away like I was a piece of meat…it was like I wasn't even their son! They treated me like a house elf; they hit me, starved me and neglected me just because I wasn't special like my brother!" Harry Potter was nothing more than just the abused Potter twin...until he ran away. Magic has given a gift once more. The Dark and Light will be in balance again• AU.
1. Escape from Hell

**AN: I own nothing but my plot, everything else belongs to JK Rowling. **

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><p><strong>The Son of Darkness – <strong>_**Chapter 1: The escape from hell**_

Cheerful and boisterous peals of laughter could be heard from the gorgeous Potter manor as a chubby red-headed child with hazel eyes was chased by a man with messy, raven hair and a mischievous grin. Nearby, a beautiful woman with dark red hair and stunning emerald green eyes watched the scene with amusement and undying love as she read a book with a cup of black tea. The man finally caught his child, only to lift him up over his shoulder as the 6-year-old squealed in laughter and joy. The childish laughter only continued as the parents proceeded to sing the "Happy birthday" song for the boy.

_It was the picture of a perfect family. _

There were absolutely no signs that could tell a person that there was another member to this happy family.

But there _was_ another child that lived in the manor, a child that was starved for even a fraction of the attention that was given to his brother. To the world, Lily and James Potter were the ideal parents… the_ perfect_ parents for Jeremy Charles Potter, who was currently crowned as the "The Chosen One" and the only one with the power to kill the Dark Lord. Looking at the family, nobody would be able to tell that the chosen one actually had a twin… a twin that was always overshadowed by his younger brother. His family never bothered with the other twin.

To them, _he was just a burden_; he was just a _weakling_ who was always desperate to steal the attention from his precious brother.

But it hadn't always been like this… the Potters hadn't always ignored their younger son. Things used to be so much better when everything was normal and when there wasn't a prophecy hanging over them all the time. They used to be a loving family. But the night that Dumbledore came to tell them that Jeremy was the Chose One…that night changed everything.

There was another squeal of laughter from the grounds as Harrison James Potter was torn away from his thoughts, his eyes focused back on his parents and brother and he could only watch from his window as his family had the time of their lives…without him. _"He's not the only one whose birthday is today."_ He thought bitterly as his family proceeded to take the celebrations inside.

Such a sight wasn't uncommon; Harry had always been ignored by his family ever since the day everyone found out about who Jeremy really was…for reasons that he didn't know _or_ understand. For his six-year-old mind, it was hard for the child to understand _why_ his parents didn't like him. He couldn't understand why he was ignored…was it because he wasn't good enough? Was it because he wasn't the "Chosen One"? Was it because _he_ didn't have the power to vanquish the Lord Voldemort?

Harrison chuckled indignantly … it was preposterous! He may only be six years old…but he was smart enough to understand that there was absolutely _nothing_ special about his brother. Jeremy was an average and mediocre wizard in every sense. Then why was _he_ the Chosen one? Why was _he_ the one who always got everything? Why was _he_ the one whom everybody liked? Harry couldn't even _sense_ any magic coming from his brother…he barely had an aura! Jeremy hadn't even done a lot of accidental magic, while Harry could already cause things to happen almost every day! Then why was it that everybody seemed to love his obnoxious brother and not him? _It wasn't fair_…but since when had life ever been fair for him?

He sighed to himself as he remembered the day he had dared to ask Dumbledore why Jeremy was the one who was crowned as the savior of the wizarding world.

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><p><em><span>Flashback<span>_

_Members of the Order of Phoenix filed out of the meeting room as Harry Potter waited for the man he was looking for to finally come out. The older witches and wizards walked right past the younger twin and all but showered Jeremy with affection as they spotted him. Harry seemed to be unfazed…he was used to people treating his brother partially because of who he was. Ever since they found out that Jeremy was supposed to be their "savior" a couple of months ago, they seemed to have forgotten all about him. His thoughts were cut short as Albus Dumbledore finally walked through the door. _

_Harry tugged on the man's bright yellow robes as the headmaster looked down at him kindly and said "Yes, Harry?" _

"_Professor…why is it that Jeremy is the Chosen One? Why isn't it me? I have shown so much more accidental magic than he has…he doesn't even seem to have an aura!" Harry asked Dumbledore desperately in his innocent voice._

_The headmaster's twinkling smile was soon replaced with a cold and disappointed look that made Harry regret asking the question in the first place. "Harry…your brother is prophesized to become the savior. It is just the way it is, and I'm sure that his powers will bloom in a couple of months. You would do well to remember that, my boy; because I am sure that it is your brother who is the Chosen one."_

_And with another grave look directed at Harry James Potter, the headmaster of Hogwarts was gone._

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><p>Harry's glare broke into a helpless and anguished expression as he proceeded to sing the Happy Birthday song to himself in a broken voice. It would be better for everybody if he didn't exist…it was painfully obvious that his family didn't love him, so wouldn't it just be better if he ran away? Whatever did he do to deserve this? Why didn't his Mother treat him like he was her son? The silence in his room was broken as he heard his Daddy's voice "<em>Harry<em>! Get down here and help with the food!" Harry let out another shaky sigh before making his way downstairs.

"Get the plates out!" His mother snapped at him as she spotted him making his way towards the table. Her cold glare vanished completely as she hugged and fussed over Jeremy, just as James levitated a mountain of gifts towards his first born son. Their eyes were filled with nothing but love as they stared at his brother.

No matter everything that ever happened…no matter how much his parents ignored him, treated him like a house elf or neglected him, Harry had always believed that deep down they really loved him. He used to think that it was only natural for them to pay more attention to his brother because of what was to come in his future, Jeremy would most likely be fighting The Dark Lord ten years from now and could use all the love he could get.

So, no matter how much his parents ignored him…he always forgave them and didn't put up a fight. But…the way they had been acting for the past two months…he felt like they didn't love him. The last ray of hope that his parents actually cared for him was distinguished today as he watched them ignore him…on this day. If it had been any other day, he would have just shoved it over his head, but today they had gone too far.

And this was exactly why it was like a sharp slap for Harry to watch his parents shower his brother with affection. He had expected them to show his brother more attention on their birthday, but he had never expected them to completely forget about him….they had never…_ignored_ Harry on their _birthday_. Tears stung his eyes as his parents didn't even wish him once. He had never been so…_hurt_…in his life.

It was then that he felt the warmth in his chest. It wasn't there a second ago...

He gasped as he felt something stir within him, it felt like there was fire lighting inside him, waiting to be let out and tested. He let out another gasp as he felt the fire ignite. His hurt and emotional turmoil was enough for his fiery magic in his core to slip out of his control. His vision was filled with red as he felt his magic escape from his core…he knew he was crazy to think so ….but it felt like his magic was imitating his emotions, it felt like his magic was angry at his parents for treating him the way they did.

He felt his magic lash out on the closest thing possible and opened his eyes to see the beautiful cake explode in front of him as his brother shrieked and his parents let out outrageous yells.

That was all he had to prepare himself as his father aimed a harsh slap on his face. The force sent Harry to fall back on the floor just as Lily yelled "Harrison James Potter! How dare you ruin your brother's birthday? You are lucky that today is just the family gathering…if you pulled that stunt tomorrow with the rest if the order and Jeremy's friends…" She let the threat hang in the air. Tears stung Harry's eyes as he focused on his parents' spiteful glares with their cold expressions.

He felt something stir inside him once more and he struggled to control the fire as his emotions went on overdrive once more before finally whispering in a broken and hurt voice "He's not the only one whose birthday is today...it's my birthday too, you know? Or have you forgotten, like how you forget everything that concerns me?" His broken voice sounded more haunted by the second "Why is that ever since you found out about the stupid prophecy you've nothing but ignored me? Why don't you love me like how you love Jeremy? What is so special about him? Why is it that everything he does is right and everything I do is wrong? I thought that you loved me….I—I understand why you would give him more attention but….why do you hate me so much? I thought that—"

His innocent and hurt voice was interrupted by another slap on his face. James Potter's voice thundered down on him "You _know_ that your brother deserves and needs more attention than you do! Then why do you have to always try to steal the attention from him all the time?"

"Your brother needs more care than you do, he will have a rough life while you will be lucky enough to be enjoying yours. He needs our love to fight Voldemort; while you will be living a happy and normal life, while he will be risking his every day!" Lily added as James pulled him roughly by his collar and shoved him up the stairs and back in his room, his parting words being "You will stay there till we feel that you have had enough punishment for ruining your brother's day!"

Soft sobs were all that could be heard from the room as they banged the door shut behind him. They had gone too far this time…they had shattered his naïve hope. While Harry understood that his brother needed more love from his parents…he didn't understand why it stopped them from loving _him_. He doubted that anyone would even care if he ran away…nobody would notice….except for maybe his Uncles Moony and Padfoot.

They had been the only ones who had cared even a little bit for him, even though that care was minimal compared to the care they showed to his brother. It might not be much, but he valued it nonetheless.

His sobbing increased as he heard his brother's laughter from downstairs. He forced himself to stop his pathetic wailing…_he was not weak_, and he was not going to let this get to him. _He won't let himself cry over something as stupid as this_. Why cry over someone who doesn't even care? If they didn't want to love him, if they thought that he was a waste of space, if they thought that he didn't deserve their attention…then he was going to go right ahead and make it easier for them.

_If he wasn't needed…then he was going to walk right out of this house_.

An idea started to form in Harry's mind…should he take his clothes and some food? He pondered on it for a moment before grimacing to himself in disgust. He wasn't going to take anything that _they_ bought him. He would think about all of that later…right now, he needed to find a way to get out of here. He couldn't just walk out the front door and he couldn't us the back door either. His only option was to jump out the window and escape through the woods that were near the manor. He would decide where to go after that when he was done with all this.

Right now, his first concern was to find a way to jump out this window. There was _no way_ that he could land one floor down without getting any injuries. There was only one option for him…_magic_. But how could he use magic when he didn't even have a wand? It might not work at all…_but whether or not it would work, it was worth a shot_. Concentrating, he visualized himself jumping from the window and landing on the ground unscathed. Nothing happened. The more he tried, the more frustrated he got and his desperation started to increase.

Maybe…maybe he had to ask magic to help him instead of telling it to help him? His heart lighting up with new hope, he closed his eyes and tried to "find" magic in the fire he had felt within himself. _"Please, magic…I really need your help, please help me get out of here. I really need to go, I can't live here! Please, please, please"_ He pleaded in his mind. Almost instantly, he felt himself rise from where he was sitting and travel towards the direction of the window. All the while, he kept pleading to magic until he felt himself gently bump into the wet grass of the garden.

He closed his eyes once more as tried to reach out to magic and said in his innocent and grateful voice "Thank you for helping me and letting me use you, magic." The moment the words were out of his mouth…he felt the fire inside him flare with all of its power.

He gasped as he felt something warm inside him and opened his eyes to find silver and gold strings of light spinning around him. He felt the fire and warmth inside him grow till he could actually _feel_ the magic all the time. He found the fire and magic easier to reach…as if it was at his command whenever he wanted to use it. Gradually, the gold and silver strings disappeared, but the fire and magic in his chest remained. It felt…odd, to be able to _feel_ the magic _inside him_ and to be able to _reach it_ without any effort. But…how did this happen? Was it because he thanked magic for helping him? He wished that he knew why magic gave him this gift…why she gave him so much power for a simple "Thank you".

_Why could he reach magic so easily now? _

His thoughts were interrupted once again as he heard his father's loud voice from inside the manor again. Jumping up, Harry ran towards the woods as fast as he could. He didn't have any time to spare. He couldn't afford to get caught now…not after how close he was to escaping. His lungs felt like they were on fire, but he kept moving. He kept running till he was finally out of the manor wards and into the woods that were nearby. Panting heavily, he leaned against the nearest tree and used it to balance himself. He needed to get further away…he couldn't afford to rest right now…but he was just so tired. _"Five minutes won't make a difference!"_ He thought to himself.

The warm fire inside him flared, giving him more energy. He willed himself to stand up and kept walking. He may be more mature than normal six-year-olds but his body was still young and he couldn't keep this up. Stumbling and staggering, Harrison kept moving in the woods. He didn't know where he was going, but as long as he wasn't forced to come back, he was okay with it. He didn't know how much time had already passed…it felt like it had been hours already, but he kept walking.

Finally, when he felt that there was enough distance between him and the Potter manor, Harry slowed down and gradually found a fallen tree for him to sit on. What was he supposed to do now? Sighing, he wondered what his "family" must be doing right now…probably sleeping. Speaking of sleep, he was feeling like he might any second…he really wanted to sleep. His musings were interrupted by a weird, inhuman voice.

"_**Move, you stupid human… You are lucky that my master gave me a human to eat some time ago, or I would have eaten you! Now move so I can continue my hunt!"**_It hissed. Harry looked around desperately, trying to find the source of the voice. _**"Down here!"**_He looked down to where the voice was coming from to get the biggest shock of his life. In front of him was a huge and beautiful black snake, (at least ten feet tall) and by the looks of it…she was pissed. His survival instincts kicked in almost instantly.

"_**No, don't eat me!" **_He hissed _**"I'm really yucky, I'm sure that you'll find me as bad as I find broccoli! If you want to eat someone tasty, you should go straight north till you find this huge manor. A red-headed kid named Jeremy lives there…he's kind of chubby too!" **_He added enthusiastically

The snake looked at him incredulously at the excuse and suggestion before shaking her head and coming back into reality before hissing in a shocked voice _**"You can speak? My master is the only alive speaker in the world! You even look like him...could it be...but master never had a child! "**_

"_**Of course I can speak, everybody can! Its impossible for your master to be the only person in the world who knows how to talk! How can you speak English?" **_

"_**Stupid child, I am not speaking English, you are speaking the language of the snakes!" **_Now, it was Harry's turn to look at the snake incredulously. He wasn't a parseltongue! No Potter had every been a parseltongue, in fact…The Potters were descendants of Gryffindors…there was no way that one of them married a Slytherin, let alone a descendant of Salazar Slytherin! But then…he _was _talking to the snake sadness as he thought of what his family would have thought if they knew that he was able to talk to snakes…. it was just another reason for them to abandon and. _"No"_ he told himself firmly in his mind _"They are not your family anymore, you don't need to care what they will think of you!"_

The snake apparently noticed his mood and hissed gently _**"Your ability is not one to be ashamed of, child…you should consider it as an honor. Now, tell me what you are doing here all alone in the forest. And how did you get past the wards of my master's house?"**_

Harry looked confused for a while before saying _**"There were wards? I didn't know there were any wards, I was just running away from my family…I had no idea where I was going, I was just running wherever I could!"**_

The snake just looked like it was deep in thought for a while, (if snakes can have expressions) before hissing back _**"Would you like to come with me to my Master's manor? You look cold and you do not exactly look like you want to go back. I am sure that my master will be interested in meeting another snake-speaker." **_

It couldn't be any harm could it? The snake was nice; maybe the "master" must be nice too. And if anything wrong happened magic could easily help him…right? He was hungry and tired as well…_and_ he couldn't keep this up, he had to go _somewhere_! Harry opened his mouth hesitantly, wondering what to say before finally making up his mind and saying an enthusiastic _**"Yes, I would love that!"**_

The snake smiled happily and Harry really hoped that she wasn't just letting him come with her so she could eat him later. The walk to the manor wasn't too long, and it was mostly silent except for his mild panting to keep up with the huge snake whose name was apparently "Nagini". He shook his head indignantly…this day was getting too weird and frustrating for him. The manor, (not unlike the Potter manor) was huge, not to mention that it screamed rich, pureblood and luxurious. The interior was the opposite of his old house; the color combination was assorted shades of silver and green….Slytherin colors. His bright eyes took in everything with interest and he quickly tried to memorize the way out in case he had to run.

Nagini finally led him towards a door and they simply waited there for a while. Harry was about to ask why they were just waiting there before another voice from inside interrupted his, saying _**"You may enter, Nagini."**_

The door opened on its own accord and Nagini quickly slithered inside, silently asking him to enter behind her… he took a deep calming breath and quietly entered behind the mystical black snake. The room was huge and was decorated in Slytherin colors like the rest of the manor; it was definitely beautiful enough to be a ballroom… but it radiated a dangerous aura…like the air inside had seen too many deaths. In the middle of the room was magnificent throne, which was currently occupied by a tall and handsome, raven haired man with crimson eyes and a flawless face…he too, like the rest of the room had an air of danger around him.

"_**Nagini…"**_ the man hissed silently _**"You brought a **_**child**_** in the manor…may I know why?" **_

The snake slithered towards the throne and rapped herself around her masters chair before hissing again _**"I found him in the woods in the property when I went for my hunt ...he had somehow surpassed the wards and when I asked him how he did it, he simply said that he was running away from home didn't know where he was going. He also said that he didn't know there were any wards."**_

The man's face remained a mask of blank indifference as he raised an eyebrow and proceeded to stare at Harry with his piercing red eyes. The man looked like he was searching for something before he nodded as if he was satisfied and hissed to Nagini _**"I can see that he went past the ward, Nagini. But what is his name, and I how did you know what he said?"**_

Before the majestic black snake could say anything, Harry opened his mouth and hissed _**"My name is Harrison James Potter."**_

The man froze. He stared at Harrison with his piercing eyes once more for a moment before hissing sarcastically to Nagini _**"And you forgot to mention the fact that the boy is a parseltongue **_**and**_** a Potter brat?" **_Nagini looked shocked as she stuttered to the man _**"Master…I didn't know-I didn't think that he might be a Potter…how can he speak the language of snakes if he is a Potter…his family aren't descendants of Salazar Slytherin! I thought that he might be your relative!"**_

Harry just looked confused…he couldn't understand what was happening, how could this man speak parseltongue as well? Why did he have red eyes? The snake also said that he was a descendant of Slytherin…but _that _wasn't possible because the only known parseltongue and descendant of Slytherin was…

The six-year-old froze as he whispered the name with awe and fright "Lord Voldemort…" Both Nagini and Voldemort turned to look at him as he said the name. Voldemort smirked "You _are_ a clever one, aren't you?" His smirk widened as Harry didn't reply "Tell me, boy…why did you run away from home? Why did you run away from you parents? I am sure that they must have pampered you sick!"

Harry's anger resurfaced and his magic spiked dangerously as he started speaking "_They_ didn't want me. They pampered my brother while they pushed me away like I was a piece of meat…it was like I wasn't even their son! They treated me like a house elf; they hit me, starved me and neglected me just because I wasn't _special_ like my brother! Who are they kidding? _Jeremy_ is nothing special, he barely did any accidental magic, and he doesn't even have an aura! I _hate_ them…_I_ _hate them more than anything else in the world and I will never go back even if you force me to!"_

Voldemort raised an eyebrow and his red eyes narrowed as Harry finished his rant. He felt a nudge in his mind…and the next thing he knew, Harry's head felt like it was about to burst open and his memories were flying through his mind. The time when his father slapped him for the first time… Jeremy getting pampered while he was shoved aside…his asking Dumbledore why he wasn't the chosen one…. the warm fire inside him as he got the gift of magic…him running away…

It hurt so much…and the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain… going through the memories for a _second_ time was more than he could bear. Harry fell to the ground as the pressure left his mind when Voldemort was done with going through his memories.

"We are not so different, Harry Potter…I went through a similar childhood as you. Your parents and Dumbledore are fools to actually think that your brother is the Chosen one…and they were fools to treat you in the way that they did." His expression was now victorious "You are a parseltongue, you went through my wards without any difficulty, and if your memories speak the truth…magic gave you a gift. Such a gift is very rare in the magical world….and currently there are only three people in the world that hold that gift…you, me and Dumbledore. There is no doubt that_ you_ are the Chosen One."

Harry froze; he couldn't be the Chosen one, could he? Dumbledore was wrong….fear stroked him as he remembered the lines of the prophecy…neither can live while the other survives.

It was as if the Dark lord had read his thoughts because the moment he thought it, the older man said "You have potential…you could be a very powerful wizard one day. The light wizards were fools to treat you like this but you will be welcomed here, you could join my side and if we both ignore the prophecy then it wouldn't be valid anymore. Both of us were treated badly by the light side…and I see myself in you, I was exactly like you when I was your age and I was treated just like you were, my father abandoned me was well…I could control magic just like you can."

Voldemort smirked as he said the next words "I will not try to kill you….I would like to adopt you."

There was an echoing silence in the throne room as the words came out of Voldemort's mouth. Someone really _wanted_ him? Lord Voldemort wanted to adopt _him?_ But should he say yes? Harry was raised to hate the dark and favor the light side...he was raised to support what Dumbledore was fighting for. _Look where that got him!_ There were a few more moments of silence before Harry's face started to form into a slow but genuine smile.

And that was the only warning they had had before Harrison James Potter (the chosen one, former member of the _Potter_ family) launched himself on Lord Voldemort (the darkest lord since Grindewald, descendant of Slytherin, killer of millions of muggles and muggleborns) and hugged him like a teddy bear.

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><p><em><strong>AUTHORS NOTE<strong>_

**So, how was the first Chapter? Please tell me if you want me to continue with the story….**_**THE STORY MIGHT NOT BE CONTINUED IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO CONTINUE!**_

**-PersephoneJackson123**


	2. Breaking from Manipulations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot, everything else belongs to JK Rowling. **

**The Dark Heir—_Chapter 2: Breaking from Manipulations _**

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><p><strong>Alphard Noir Manor, Unknown location<br>Time - 4:32 AM**

The glass of cognac in his hand began to crack under the pressure as the man glared at the raging fire. Scorching flames illuminated his emotionless grey eyes as he stood gracefully from the luxurious chair, his hand reaching out for the last portrait that lay upon the dark antique table. It was the only memory left of _them_…the only memory that hadn't been reduced to ashes yet. His fingers tightened on the frame as he stared at the laughing faces of his so called _friends_…the same _friends_ whose actions lead to the disappearance of his pup.

He knew that his pup was never treated the same as Jeremy, but he never imagined that it would go so far…he never imagined that his friends would actually _dare_ to neglect and abuse his pup!

Breaking through the cold mask, his grey eyes filled with agony, rage and vengeance.

He remembered their uncaring faces, their cruel voices declaring exactly how they felt about the Harry. _Merlin, they were supposed to be his parents!_ They weren't supposed to be saying that his pup was nothing but an "Attention seeking brat", they weren't supposed to be calling him a—

_Crack!_

His glass of cognac finally shattered under his hand as the liquid flowed underneath his fingers. Shards of glass dug into his skin as the blood poured out violently, staining the lavish carpeting. The man's face twisted into cold disgust and revulsion as he tossed the portrait into the raging fires, watching as the flames licked the laughing faces. He didn't need any memories of these _vile_ people…he didn't need memories of the _despicable_ people who were the reason why he didn't have Harry anymore. The way they doted over Jeremy, while mistreating Harry was _sickening_.

To tell the truth, the man felt happy that his pup wasn't with those people anymore…they didn't _deserve_ Harry, they didn't deserve his love.

It had hit him like a ton of bricks when they admitted to their crimes without regret. He felt as if something broke inside him when they told him about their relief to finally have gotten rid of their youngest son. _He didn't know who these people were anymore…_Lily and James weren't the same people he once considered as his family. _What happened to handsome, goodhearted man who used to be his best friend? What happened to the beautiful, selfless, muggleborn?_

Oh Merlin, were these the same people he chose over his family? Were these the same people he _abandoned_ his _family_ over? The man ran his uninjured hand through his black curls in frustration…his world was shattering around him…everything he had believed till now was turning out to be a lie!

Dumbledore knew of the abuse that Harry had been suffering, so why didn't he put a stop to it? Wasn't Dumbledore supposed to be the light lord? Wasn't he supposed to be fighting against crimes like abuse? Well…now that he thought about it…Dumbledore had always brushed it off whenever he showed concerns regarding Harry. And…and as a matter of fact, Dumbledore himself was the one who suggested that Lily and James pay more attention to Jeremy because of his role in the war.

_God, was this the man he had been blindly following for the past few years?_ The man's mouth opened in horror as a tear escaped his haunting grey eyes. Had he been letting Dumbledore control him for so long? _And now…because of his manipulations, he'd lost his pup…he'd lost Harry._

"Oh Merlin, what have I done?" He screamed to himself, his voice echoing in the manor just as the eighteen century vase to his left shattered into a million pieces. He'd already lost Harry…he couldn't afford to lose anything else in his life. He couldn't follow Dumbledore anymore…he just couldn't!

He should have listened when they told him the truth about the light side…he shouldn't have let his rebellious character blind him. They had always been right about everything…if only he had listened, Harry might still be here today. Sobs racked his body as the man struggled to control his emotions, his heart refusing to believe that his whole life had been a lie…a game of chess.

It was hard for him to believe that all these years he had been used as nothing but a pawn…_nothing but a chess piece_, being controlled by Albus Dumbledore. Screaming in frustration, the man unleashed his magic, doing nothing as the crystal chandelier collapsed on the floor. He had to leave… he couldn't say here any longer…_but where would he go?_ If he wasn't with Dumbledore anymore…where would he be accepted?

Ever since he ran away, he had been under the shadows of Dumbledore's manipulations...the old coot had made sure that he wouldn't have another place to go to.

Growling in frustration once more, the man contemplated the options he had. He _could_ go to some other country, but he knew in his heart that fleeing Britain would be his last choice. Other than that, the only option he had was his…family.

_But would they take him? Would they accept him after everything that he had done?_

He had let his rebellious nature rule him into abandoning his own family; his own parents who had just been trying to reveal the truth about the light…he had let the light destroy his life. It may be the truth, but he couldn't believe that just a few tragic hours changed the course of his whole life. But everything was not yet lost…he still had time, he could still go on to the right path. The same path he should have taken years ago when he was given the choice.

Hope shimmered in those haunting grey eyes as the man strode towards the fireplace with new purpose and determination. He would finally set things right. Stepping in, he took a deep shuddering breath before forcefully closing his eyes; beads of sweat formed on his temple as his heart started to thump against his chest.

The manor was filled with the tension that he radiated, the air was so thick with stress that even the portraits dared not to make any noise. The painful silence was broken by the sudden noise of the man's harsh breathing; putting a hand over his heart, the man's hoarse voice echoed as he reassured himself "I am a Gryffindor, I have no fear…I have no reason to worry. I—I can do this."

Repeating the words as a mantra, the man drew every ounce of courage that ran through his heart before drawing himself to his full height. His face was distorted with pain; his eyes were running wild in a tornado of thoughts and fears. Forcing himself to clear his face of all emotions, he harshly repressed his magical turmoil. With his cold face radiating the air of a pureblood, he took his last deep breath before taking a pinch of floo powder in his fingers. Resolutely whispering his destination, he let the pinch of green powder fall towards the ground as if in slow motion.

Emerald green flames enveloped him as he felt himself spinning in a whirlpool of fire. The flames caressed his skin gently, surrounding him from every direction as they worked for his command to go to the intended destination. It was an _eternity_ later…or maybe too soon that the spinning stop and the comfort of time left him ruthlessly.

The flames were retched away from his body as troubling worries resurfaced in his mind.

He could hear the scandalized shrieks and enraged yells as they noticed his body materializing from floo. Slowly, he opened his wary eyes as his gaze raked through the room, scrutinizing his surroundings. He swallowed down the hysteria that emerged as he realized what he had just interrupted…a Black family gathering. Perfect timing, wasn't it?

The enigmatic male, Sirius Black, could see his family's outraged expressions as he stepped out of the fireplace with practiced grace. His eyes met with the same startling grey orbs of his mother as she welcomed him with an emotionless mask of indifference; he had been expecting that, but it didn't stop the flash of pain from appearing in his eyes. Tearing his gaze away from her face, he cautiously opened his mouth. With his throat feeling too dry and his hands clenched with nervousness, Sirius's was filled with remorse as he voiced his thoughts.

"You were right…you were always right. I am sorry for abandoning my family, I am sorry for being manipulated by that man…I am sorry for not understanding that you were trying to help me all long. It took me the hard way to realize that I took the wrong path… my life shattered because I never listened.

"You were right all along…_The light is no better than the dark."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>I know that it's been like four months since I updated but I'm very sorry. I can't imagine the number of death threats I've got about how people would hunt me down if I didn't update. I swear that the next chapter will be way longer than this one. It would be as long as the first chapter. For those who wanted to see Voldemort's reaction, the next chapter will have that. Thank you to all the 46 people who reviewed!

_PLEASE READ: This is a poll, and I figured it would be easier to just ask the question in my authors note-**Do you want Harry to go to Hogwarts, Durmstrang or be home-schooled?**  
><em>


	3. Descending into the Darkness

**AN: I own nothing but my plot, everything else belongs to JK Rowling. **

* * *

><p><strong>The Dark Heir: Chapter 3<strong>** –**_**Descending into the Darkness**_

**Forest of Dean, England  
>Time – 4:57 PM<strong>

He could feel the agonizing pressure building inside his chest.

Struggling to control himself, his amber eyes distorted into ferocious gold, glinting with maniacal insanity. Warm blood trickled down his fists as his nails mercilessly tore through the skin. The raging fire inside him threatened to explode as it seethed through his veins, giving his skin a feverish caress. Dripping gently, a bead of sweat made its way down his scarred face as he clenched his jaw painfully. Shaking uncontrollably, the man fought to control his rage…but how could he? With the words echoing inside his mind like a haunting nightmare, how could he control his fury?

Letting out a tortured screamed, the man thrashed through the forest as the memory of James's callous voice invaded his senses.

"_I don't understand why you are so caught up on him, Remus. The boy was nothing but an inconvenience…he was nothing but a burden. He deserves to be dead!"_

The affect was spontaneous…Remus Lupin screamed as the _monster_ tried take control. Pulling at his brown hair, he felt his chest tighten as his magic lashed out. The words repeatedly played through his mind like a broken tape…getting louder as the seconds went by. His mind was in turmoil; memories were scattered like the remains of a hurricane as he was forced to watch them _over_ and _over again_.

"_Listen to James, Remus! You must understand…the boy was nothing but filth. He is unworthy of your love and affection. Why can you not realize the truth of this situation?"_

His soul ached to kill… His magic craved to slaughter… His _monster_ desired to annihilate. Coherent thoughts disappeared from his mind as Remus let out an animalistic growl, tearing apart whatever stood in his way towards revenge. His will was shattering and he could do nothing against it…he could do nothing. Trying his best to clear his mind, Remus _screamed _as he felt himself lose control. Oh, dear Merlin…

"_Why was he filth? Remus, you must believe us…he was a threat to Jeremy. He desired to steal the love away from him. The boy didn't understand that his brother needed more affection… and for that, he suffered the consequences. We cannot let anyone stand in our way towards victory against the dark…not even him. Don't you remember what Dumbledore said? Jeremy needs love to defeat Voldemort, and nothing else is worth more than our victory!"_

Soul shattering screams echoed through the forest as his _monster_ broke through all constraints. Excruciating pain was all Remus could feel as the monster merged into his soul, filling into his other half that had been empty for as long as he could remember. No matter how much he tried, Remus couldn't resist…it was useless. The hollow space in his soul filled itself with _his_ monster…_his_ other half. Power surged thorough his core as a foreign presence broke into his shattered mind, gently picking up the remains of his broken memories. Coherent thoughts finally returning to his mind, his pained groans died down as the forest returned to its state of blissful silence. …It was over.

His other half had been awakened…and it had been inevitable. How could it not be? _His_ pack had been threatened. _His_ pack had been betrayed. _His_ cub had been hurt. _His_ cub might be dead… And now _they_ would suffer the consequences.

_He was the monster, and the monster was him_… _They were one_.

His face distorting into a malicious smirk, Remus Lupin pulled his head back into an insane cackle.

* * *

><p><strong>12 Grimmauld Place, England<br>Time – 5:45 PM**

Gracefully handling a glass of champagne in his hand, Arcturus Black gazed at his family with growing desolation. As Lord of the house, Arcturus Sirius Black had obligations and responsibilities…and if there was a wizard even remotely familiar with politics and legitimacy, he would realize the cause of the Lord's discontent. Time and again, the Blacks had been proven to be one of the most prestigious pureblood houses in the world. The universe literally lay at their feet with the aura of power and supremacy that this family radiated. The Blacks were not to be trifled with…with their cold visages and eyes filled with intense power, they were _untouchable_.

There was only one problem.

As Lord of the house, Arcturus had _nobody_ to pass on his legacy to…the Blacks didn't have an heir. Of course, one could count Draco Malfoy as a suitable candidate, but Arcturus would die before he even thinking of passing on _generations_ of tradition to the overindulged Malfoy scion. It took every bit of his self-control to stop the hysterical cackle that threatened to burst…the brat didn't have an ounce of common sense, not to mention his lacking diplomacy and political skills!

Making _Draco_ his heir would be like killing the House of Black. He would rather lead the Blacks into poverty than see that brat disgrace such an influential name.

His mouth curling in disgust, Arcturus closed his eyes as he attempted to control his overbearing _emotions_ that threatened to emerge. How was it that everything had collapsed? He used to have an heir…he used to have an heir that was _flawless_ in every aspect of the pureblood society. But in a matter of days, that heir changed from being perfect to being the "family disgrace". How did that happen?

Allowing his mind to float into remembrance, his hands clenched as he thought of Sirius and Regulus. They had both been exceptionally powerful…Sirius had shown so much potential! If it wasn't for Walburga, Sirius would have been ready to take his rightful place as the heir their prestigious house and Regulus would still be alive.

Arcturus had never approved of how Walburga had raised his eldest grandchild. Ever since Sirius was born, Walburga had been too forceful on the child…she had burdened him with the responsibility of being the heir when he was far too young. If only she had understood the most basic psychology…humans always pursue what they have been deprived of. Sirius had been deprived of happiness and freedom…it was only natural that he jumped to the light at less than a moment's notice.

The light had given him everything he had been denied…they had given him contentment and liberty. The only thing that Sirius chose to overlook was the fact that they were also manipulating him.

Of course, as soon as Sirius had been sorted into Gryffindor, Walburga had been more than willing to increase her severity on the boy. Disappointed in him, she had done everything in her power to make him accept his darkness, and it was her brutality that had finally led to Sirius running away. Unsurprisingly, Walburga didn't bat an eye as she switched her fierce gaze to Regulus. The poor boy had seen what had happened to Sirius as a result his burden as the heir, but had no choice but to relent to his mother's demands in fear of abandonment.

Dear Regulus had been in fear of being disowned if he ever attempted to follow in Sirius's footsteps…and it was this fear that led him to the reluctant path towards the Dark Lord's side. It was this fear of rejection that he took the cursed mark upon himself. Arcturus had known that Regulus would die rather than be under the Dark Lord's control. If only Regulus had not taken the mark because of Walburga, he would not be dead for attempting to kill his master. Arcturus had been _devastated_ when their Lord had called him to brag about the foolishness of his youngest grandson.

The Blacks never found exactly what Regulus had tried to do…only that he had been caught by their Lord in a _cave_ where he attempted to destroy something precious to the Dark Lord…this was apparently right before Regulus had tried to kill him. To be frank, Arcturus did not mind that Sirius and Regulus never showed any inclination towards joining the Death Eaters. As long as they remained allies of the dark, he would always accept his grandsons in his house.

...If only Orion had been able to control his wife into calming down, Sirius would be with his family and Regulus would be alive. Arcturus wished that he had not hesitated to interfere before things got out of hand.

His eyes darkening, he remembered his sheer need to _torture_ and _obliterate_ he discovered what Walburga's actions had led to. However, he had been forced to control himself and make her realize the consequences of her actions. His daughter-in-law had nearly gone into depression as she was faced with the harsh and brutal reality of the situation. Regardless of her harsh demeanor, she had actually loved her children…realizing that she led them into the path of destruction had nearly killed her.

Gently drawing his champagne towards his mouth, Arcturus assumed his customary smirk as he forced himself to draw back from the plaguing memories. He felt the urge to burst into frenzied cackles as he realized that the House of Black was seeing its downfall. With no heir, the Blacks would dissolve in a matter of just few years. Snorting gracefully, he knew that that he would rather not take Malfoy as his heir…it was a better option to let this Noble House go down with its glory than have it disgraced by that—

_Snap!_

The sound was loud as someone _uninvited_ crashed through the wards and flooed into the personal family gathering. His eyes darkening with rage once more, Arcturus undertook his responsibility as the Lord of the House as he stalked towards the nearest fireplace.

He could hear the others walking furiously behind him when something clicked inside his mind. At this time, _no_ witches or wizards should have been capable of entering the house without having Black blood running through their veins. Clenching his teeth, he sincerely hoped the filthy _mudblood_ order had not sent the _blood-traitor_ Andromeda as a pitiful attempt to gain his forgiveness and "dark secrets". If they did, he would show absolutely no reluctance in slaughtering her ruthlessly.

Swiftly drawing his wand, his eyes widened as he heard Pollux let out a scandalized gasp. An _Avada Kedavra_ on his lips, his stance screamed fury as he exploded with protective anger. Nobody would hurt his family while he was around…_nobody_. Expecting an order member, Arcturus stormed into the room with barely contained magic as he prepared himself to say the two words. Throwing himself in front of the fireplace with ferocity, Arcturus turned his head towards the figure in front of him—and stopped short.

Whatever he had been expecting…it certainly wasn't _this_.

Looking half dead and clearly anguished, Sirius Orion Black was standing in front of him with blood splattered over his tattered robes shards of glass hung from his broken skin.

Outraged yells and affronted gasps filled the room as the others were met with the utterly astounding sight. Arcturus could hardly believe his eyes as Sirius turned his tormented gaze towards his mother as she stared coldly at him. Flinching, Sirius turned his gaze towards the rest of the family as he attempted to speak. He looked like he had just been tortured as his hoarse voice filled the room. His voice sounding hesitant at first, Sirius gained confidence as he continued to speak.

"You were right…you were always right. I am sorry for abandoning my family, I am sorry for being manipulated by that man…I am sorry for not understanding that you were trying to help me all long. It took me the hard way to realize that I took the wrong path… my life shattered because I never listened."

His eyes were filled with unimaginable pain as he said the next words "You were right all along…_The light is no better than the dark_."

…_Silence_.

Arcturus knew that this could be a plot of the order…but he couldn't bring himself to hurt Sirius. He could _never_ bring himself to hurt Sirius or Regulus. The silence only fueled the tension in the room as the shocked members of the Black family struggle to either contain their emotions or tried to distinguish any hidden motives. However, the pain in Sirius's eyes was too much to be taken as a feint…he looked ready to stab himself in the heart.

The strained silence was broken only by Cassiopeia as she gazed at him with a sneer on her lips "As _touching_ as your little speech was, I would like to know if you think we're foolish enough to believe that you're ready to leave the _light_ side…"

Silencing her with a harsh glare, Arcturus masked his sentiments as he stared at his grandson with an emotionless facade "Why the sudden change of heart? How can we believe that you are willing to come back to your family after everything that happened? Give me reason to believe that you are not here just to scrutinize and pass on information to you ever so _precious_ Order of Phoenix. _Give me reason to believe that you are honest_…_Sirius_."

Sirius's body was frozen with shock as he stared at them with something akin to _hope_. His dull eyes were searing back to life as they alighted with fire...so much was hidden underneath the depths of his heated gaze. Color returned to his face and the hope morphed into unadulterated elation…it was as if Sirius could not believe that they were willing to even give him a chance with this. Arcturus could only frown as he took in the sight of his grandson…what could they have possibly done to him for Sirius to react like this?

However, this wasn't the situation they were not prepared for. They could only watch in horrified astonishment as they watched Sirius break down and sob violently for the first time in _years_. Strangles gasps and words escaped his mouth as they managed to understand his distressed words

"_Harry_...they _abused_ him…Harry is gone! My godson…they left him for their _Chosen One_…he was neglected. They hit him a-and they starved him…and n-now he's gone! He ran away…_dead_…_he could be dead_—"

Sirius's hoarse voice was broken as he found himself unable to speak. Putting a hand on his heart, Sirius struggled to speak coherently as his wide eyes blinded him from his family. Choking and gasping fiercely, he managed to painfully wheeze out something articulate "…C-can't…speak…l-l- legilimency…"

And thus, with a determined look on his eyes, Arcturus Black delved ferociously into his grandson's chaotic mind, looking for answers that would change his life forever. Walking through the clustered memories, he was hardly shocked as he felt sincerity pouring out in waves. Looking further into the memories, Arcturus gasped as memories violently pushed at him in overwhelming numbers. Images and thoughts filled his senses as Sirius continued to tell his story…speeches and pictures were floating all around him as he strained to grasp the meaning.

_The boy was always a burden…_

_He is filth…He ran away…the brat deserves to die…_

…_what is devil's name is wrong with you? The prophecy…Dumbledore knows Jeremy deserves more attention….._

…_yes, we hit him! What else did you expect us to do to the brat?_

_Harry might be dead…Remus is angry…Moony is breaking out…_

…_..How dare they abuse his pup?_

Thousands of memories were ambushing him as Arcturus felt himself understand Sirius's pain and thoughts. Like a broken pensieve, thousands of images swirled around him like a hurricane as Sirius showed him his reasons for coming back. Dear Merlin, the betrayals were unbelievable…it was disgusting the way these filthy mudbloods and blood traitors treated their own kind…it was _vile_.

_Lily and James aren't the same people they used to be…Dumbledore had been manipulating him all along…Family…the only people to trust…Harry…Harry!_

Arcturus could now feel Sirius's mind spinning out of control as his overwhelming emotions continued to haunt him.

_Harry…dead…has gone…danger…Harry! Harry! _

Not wanting to hurt his grandson any more than necessary, he gently retreated from his mind. His hands shaking with the impact of Sirius's pain, Arcturus let out a shaky breath before facing the astounded and cautious stares of his family. Turning his head back towards Sirius, he spoke softly as he expressed to the others about his grandson's sincerity. Listening to him with calculating gleams, they did not interrupt as he continued to voice the tale of betrayals and manipulations. However, their emotionless visages of distrust did not vanish as he finished Sirius's account with a cold sneer upon his lips.

Silence was once again thick in the room as they contemplated the events with evaluating eyes. Seeming to be satisfied with the descriptions, Pollux nodded sharply before gazing at the agonized man on the ground with something close to softness in his eyes. Surely but hesitantly, the Blacks accepted Sirius's honesty with building anger as they took in the state of the newly reinstated heir of the family.

There was only one question left to ask.

Voicing the one thought that had been on every Black's mind in the house, Walburga spoke to her son with surprising tenderness "Why is it that you care so much for the death of that child, my son? I am a mother and I understand the pain of losing a child, but Harrison Potter is _not_ your blood…then why do you feel agony like that of a parent losing his first-born?"

Standing up with practices grace, Sirius let out an insane laugh as he gazed at his family with hollow eyes.

His eyes raking the occupants of the room once more, Sirius's demeanor changed once again as the hollow mirth disappeared from his face, replace only by a cold whisper "I _knew_ Lily and James would never as much as glance at Harry after they found out about the prophesy! Remus and I basically raised the poor child…it was even worse that James refused to acknowledge him as a potential heir, despite the fact that Harry was only the second born child. It was along the way that Harry became the son I never had…"

"But he is not your blood! He is only distantly related to you by Dorea…" Cassiopeia screeched furiously.

Sirius's rage was hardly suppressed as his core struggled to remain behind the walls. His voice dropping down to a deadly whisper, his fury had no limits "He has my blood running through his veins! I did _that_ ritual with him…_I made Harry my heir_."

Arcturus could only smirk at the revelation as the others gaped. With his Sirius back as his heir, there was nothing to stop the House of Black from declining. And what was better than his heir already having someone to pass the Black legacy to? In other conditions, he would have disapproved, but Harrison did have some Black blood running through him, didn't he?

Almost reflexively, Arcturus caught Orion's gaze with the smallest of smiles. It was as if his son had already read his mind because the moment their eyes met, Orion cleared his throat and spoke decisively "Sirius has made Harrison his heir through _the_ ritual…and that can only mean one thing. From today onwards, Harrison is to be considered a Black in our eyes." Gazing at Arcturus once more, Orion gestured swiftly with his hand "…Father, if you will."

Clearing his throat, Arcturus could feel the elation running through his blood "I, Lord of the _Noble and Most Ancient House of Black_ thus welcome Sirius Orion Black as my heir and blood once more. By the law of magic, I thus also welcome Harrison James as the heir of Sirius Orion Black and the direct descendant of Lordship…so mote it."

Ah, yes…the Blacks would never lose their prestige in the magical society.

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><p><strong>Argent Manor, Slytherin Citadel<br>Unknown Location  
>Time — 6:15 PM<strong>

Passionate red eyes pierced through the boy's very soul as they glared into the depths of emerald darkness. Waiting patiently for the boy to reply, the red orbs appeared to be anything but friendly. With robes as black as midnight, a visage so distressingly beautiful, and eyes as exquisite as crimson blood, the man had an air of haunting shadows around him. His stance itself gave away the exceptional amount of power that he seemed to carry within himself. With the prodigious gift that magic seemed to have bestowed him with, it was an understatement to even say that the man was powerful.

However, it seemed that the roses of fate had touched upon the Dark Lord with its softest petals…for it seemed that he had finally met someone to equal his power and to balance the threads of magic. For the past years, the Dark Lord had been fighting a losing battle against the Lord of Light. With overbearing experience and an age that seemed to be twice his own, the Light Lord also had twice the amount of power.

There was a _reason_ why the Light Lord had a magical core that seemed to be double the size of his own…and it was reason that had put Lord Voldemort in a position of constant disadvantage. Similarly, there was a _reason_ behind the mysterious appearance of this boy who clearly carried the same gift that the two Lords did. And of course, there was a _reason_ why this boy inherited a dark magical core.

And for the first time, it seemed the magic was trying to mend the problems she had created by the imbalance of the sun and moon. And apparently, the solution to her fatal mistake was in the form of this emerald eyed boy.

Just like the countless reasons for the situation…there was a very _essential reason_ to why the child was a parseltongue. Lord Voldemort knew better than to question magic's motives, but he couldn't help feel suspicious when all these events seemed to point towards one thing.

It was as if Lord Voldemort had _known_ the moment he heard the musical voice dancing vivaciously in his ears. And now, as he waited for the boy to make his decision, the Dark Lord could only hope that magic knew what she was doing. Directing his burning gaze into the very core of the boy, he could feel the confusion and indecision as he child contemplated the options. Sighing mentally, the Dark Lord sincerely hoped that he would not have to wait for a couple of hours before the brat made his decision.

Piercing his red eyes through his heart, Lord Voldemort nearly smirked in satisfaction when he was the smallest of smiles light up the child's face. The smile was slow to form but even the _he_ could see that it was filled with nothing but elation. Of course, mirth was something that he had expected from the boy…the child had never experience the pleasure of having a real family.

However, something that the Dark Lord had _not_ expected was to witness the child running towards him with something akin to admiration. Confusion hidden under the cold mask of indifference, he waited for the child to stop running…but the brat didn't stop. With the child coming dangerously close to his territory, his first instinct was to draw his wand and the curse the brat with pain a thousand times worse than the Cruciatus.

But since doing something like this to his…son…would probably be inappropriate, the Dark Lord all but froze with scandalized shock as the boy _jumped_ on him and tried to _choke_ him with his arms.

It took the man a moment to realize the brat was _hugging_ him. If any other person had as much thought about coming closer than five feet towards into is territory, the Dark Lord wouldn't blink an eye before torturing the invader till he absolutely _shattered_ the mind, body and _soul_. Using all his strength not to sneer and push him to the floor, Lord Voldemort waited for the brat to move his head away from his chest.

It never happened.

Of all the things, the Lord of Dark had certainly not expected magic to provide him with an over-emotional _Hufflepuff_ as the solution to a catastrophe that could destroy the world. A scornful glare distorting his features, the Dark Lord's patience started to run thin as he continued to wait for the boy to get off of him. And it certainly took him all his power not to _crucio_ him when he felt something _wet_ glide across his robes.

…Sweet Salazar, was the boy _licking_ him?

Almost letting out a violent scream of rage, the Dark Lord's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he realized _just_ what was happening.

The brat had fallen asleep. And now he was _drooling_ on him. Oh, dear Merlin.

Indignantly, the Dark Lord silently levitated the brat's body off of his chest as he made his way towards the heir's room in long, purposeful strides. Fuming with frustration, his red eyes burned with intense fire as he contemplated exactly _why_ magic decided to attempt solving the problems she had created because of her carelessness. Gently laying the brat on the luxurious bed, Lord Voldemort stared at the child for a few seconds before gently tucking him inside the blankets.

Hissing towards Nagini to watch over the boy, the Dark Lord walked out without as much as a second glance towards the fragile figure that was not sleeping peacefully. Letting out a sigh of exasperation, he could only imagine the possibilities now that there was another bearer of the gift. Sitting down gracefully in his study, he couldn't help but think that the next day was going to be filled with explanations.

Pouring a glass of red wine, he could only speculate how the boy would react to finding out the real truth about magic…the real truth that the Light Lord had kept hidden for so long.

Smirking viciously, he wondered what the Light Lord would do now that the balance between night and day was finally being restored.

With his smirk never leaving his handsome face, the Dark Lord dropped the glass of wine on the floor, watching how the red liquid flowed over the broken shards.

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><p><strong>AN<strong>**- **_Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait…now that my school schedule is getting better, I'll be able to update way quicker …I'm still getting death threats for not updating… Anyways, thank you so much to all those people who bothered to review my humble story (: It means the world to me  
>Just to let you know, my poll is still on! <em>_**You can STILL vote**__. __**The question is: Do you want Harry Potter to go to Hogwarts, Durmstrang, or be home-schooled?  
><strong>__ So far, I've come up with some ideas to make everybody happy, but I need to see the voting count to decide.  
><em>_**Review!**_


	4. Balance of Magic

**AN: I own nothing but my plot. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling. **

**The Dark Heir: Chapter 4 – **_**Balance of Magic**_

**Nurmengard Prison  
>Unknown Location in Continental Europe – possible Bulgaria or Germany<strong>

He could feel the suffocating intensity of magic as it _broke away_ from its distortion.

Gasping in pleasure and elation, he felt the magic as it caressed his core. Struggling to hold the magic inside himself, he clenched his fists as his core thrashed violently against the magic around him. Beads of sweat trickled down his wrinkled face as black and white merged together, creating a new stability. Squeezing his cold blue eyes shut, the man bit his lip as his core scorched against him

…the orientations of magic were changing.

His body was _burning_ as dark and light fused together, getting closer towards equilibrium. Darkness and light merged into each other, dancing around a deadly tune of war and peace.

The man screamed as his blistering core thrashed about, begging to be part of the change. Something was happening…magic was changing.

Magic all but sizzled with power as two poles tried to reach an agreement. Clouds thundered above as rain came crashing towards the prison. The whole prison seemed to let out a lethargic aura as the air seemed to crackle with energy. Droplets of water could be seen pouring down the words carved on the main tower, "_For the Greater Good_". Through a barred window below the sign, a frail body could be seen trembling with the sheer power of the magic both in his core and outside.

Skin as thin as paper, his face wrinkled with ever shallow breath that he took, as his body flinched with ever change that magic went through. Rolling onto the floor, Gellert Grindelwald gasped once more as magic continued to merge into a new force…a force nearing stability.

_Snap! _

The sound went as soon as it came, echoing through the walls of the cellar as the transition finally stopped…silence. Nothing could be heard except for the low breaths that came from the man curled on the cold, hard floor. His blue eyes snapping open, Grindelwald pulled himself to his feet gracefully, staring into the sky as the last remnants of the transition went away.

Smirking in satisfaction, Grindelwald pulled his head back in delighted laughter, whispering in his flimsy voice "_Oh_ _dearest_ _Dumbledore_…your secret is going to be out soon enough. Magic is correcting her mistakes, and you will suffer for taking advantage of her. _A new child has been given the gift, and darkness and light are finally coming to equilibrium._ Watch your back for a new dark lord is here…_your tyranny will end_."

Miles away in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, _Albus Dumbledore _felt himself being woken by similar transitions of magical changes. His eyes widening in shock and fear, the headmaster gasped as he realized what was happening. Further away at his personal study at the Argent Manor of Slytherin Citadel, _Thomas Marvolo Riddle_ smirked in satisfaction as the changes finally began. Not far away from that, _Harrison James Potter_ woke in the Heir's room of the same manor with a confused mind and an abundance of questions.

_Magic had given a gift once more. A new Dark Lord had been named_…_balance was finally back_.

* * *

><p><strong>Argent Manor, Slytherin Citadel<br>Unknown Location**

Waking up to a painful and blazing magical core was something that Harry had never encountered in his life. _Clearly_, he was surprised by such an occurrence.

Huh.

Gasping, he shot out of the luxurious bed as his burning magic thrashed against his blood and skin. It was like his magic was _begging_ to be let out…as if it was trying to inform him of something…like a transformation. Scared for his life and from the sudden predicament, Harry could do nothing but wait for it to pass as he was brought down to his knees. It seemed like the magic was affecting everything around him…the winds were howling in pain, and clouds were thundering in agony as rain all but crashed into the ground.

It felt like two poles were being forced together for good. He was sure that he imagined it, but it was almost like his magic trembling with suppressed laughter and excitement…it was as if his magic was pleased. His eyes widening in surprise, he gasped as his magic convulsed one last time before it snapped back into place…it was as if a rubber band had crossed its limit and gotten back into place. Letting out a shaky breath, he was surprised when the pain stopped and his blistering core cooled down.

Disorientation settling inside his mind, Harry was not prepared for the onslaught of memories that seemed to finally hit him. Groaning once more, he finally seemed to remember the events of last night...It was still hard for him to believe that magic had given him a gift. But nothing happened to explain exactly _why_ his magic decided to do this—whatever _this_ was—just now!

Not even a few hours had gone by since he got this _gift_ and his magic was already trying to commit suicide. Great.

Befuddlement resting inside him, Harry shook his head once more, finally taking a look around at his surroundings. He was hardly surprised to find himself in an exaggeratedly large room adorned with different shades of green. From where he was standing, Harry could see that the giant bed was nothing less than luxurious with sheets as soft as silk. Above him was an exquisitely designed chandelier, filled with the most intricate shapes and designs. The room was filled with overstuffed chairs that were tastefully designed, and obviously made for comfort.

The wall on the opposite side of the door was joined to a balcony which seemed to be made of white marble, making the floor slightly glint as the first rays of sunlight seemed to hit the manor. The wall on the other side of his bed held an excessively large bookshelf, begging to be filled with tomes and books.

However, none of this seemed to be catching Harry's attention. At the moment, all that seemed to be echoing in his young mind was the fact that whatever this gift was…it was a lot more than it seemed to be. Letting his mind wander through the events of last night, Harry grinned with barely contained ecstasy as Voldemort's voice played in his mind repeatedly like a broken tape... "_I would like to adopt you."_

It still hurt him that his pare—no—that the _Potters_ did not want him…it still hurt to think that according to them, he was _nothing_ compared to his brother, the supposed Chosen One. He could only wonder about the shock on their faces when they realized that it wasn't their _dear_ Jeremy that was the prophesied child, but him. A few days ago, Harry was naïve enough to think that they still loved him. He was wrong. How could they possibly have loved him after treating him worse than they treated the house elves? He still remembered the times when the Potters used to love both their sons equally.

Nevertheless, that was before Albus Dumbledore had revealed the prophecy. After that, it was as if Harry just did not exist...apparently, Dumbledore told the Potters that Jeremy needed more love and attention because of the _hard_ life he was going to be leading. Harry had been okay with it at first; he didn't mind when Jeremy got more presents, or when people simply forgot about Harry and preferred to fawn over his brother…as long as he still had the love of his Uncles Sirius and Remus. They always managed to brighten his day by simply hugging him and telling him that they loved him.

But soon, it all became too much… the love that his uncles gave him wasn't enough to make up for the neglect that his parents showed towards him…

In his six year old mind, Harry didn't hate the Potters and Dumbledore.

No, he _detested_ them.

After everything that happened, Harry had lost any confidence and faith in them. Just yesterday, Harry had lost all hope in _everything_…but that was before he met Nagini and the Dark Lord. His childish smile lit up his whole face as he thought of the prospect of having a family again…of having a father again. His happiness had absolutely no bounds. Harry had always waited for this day to come….ever since that night, Harry had wanted—

"Well, aren't you an over-emotional Hufflepuff?"

His body freezing in shock, Harry's eyes raked through the room in effort to find the source of the drawling voice. Frustration building in his chest, he looked around once more, only to find the voice to be from…the portrait right in front of him. The man's lips seemed to be curled into a smirk and his cold green eyes held amusement as he stared at Harry with his stern, but indignant face. Adorned in velvety robes of green and silver with his hair tied at the nape of his neck, the man looked like royalty.

"Are you just going to stare at me like a fish, boy, or are you going to speak?" The man's face smoothed into a cold mask "With the way you seem to be acting, I find it hard to believe that magic chose _you_ of all people to bestow with the gift. From what I have heard, _you_ are the solution to magic's biggest calamity of balance. However, you—"

Snapping out of his daze, Harry stared at the man with wide eyes, interrupting his resentful tirade "What solution? What…c-calamity of balance?"

Looking less than please of Harry for interrupting him, the man eyes were frigid as he drawled "It is very…_unbecoming_ of you to interrupt. Has not anybody told you? Did my heir not talk to you last night?"

The man sighed at Harry's clueless expression "I believe my heir calls himself Lord Voldemort. Your _gift_ is much more than what you think, boy. It is a pity that you were not told of your role in maintaining balance. It disgusts me to think of how that old man has been a hindrance to magical society—_where are you going?_ You are not supposed to leave the…"

Harry didn't stay long enough to hear the rest of the man's rant, choosing instead to run for the door and find some answers to what the man had been saying. Agitation started to build in his chest as magic swirled inside him, responding to his vexation. He didn't even realize as his magic tore through the barriers and wards that seemed to be on the door, and he definitely didn't notice the outraged yells from the portrait. Striding towards an unknown destination, Harry didn't think as he continued to look for a specific someone who could tell him what was going on.

After today's events, Harry could hardly blame himself for being completely perplexed. He had been right…this 'gift' is indeed more than it seems to be. Why did he wake up to a blistering and agonizing core today? What was the man in the portrait talking about?

The man had been talking as if Harry was the solution to a disaster…as if Harry had been the key to stopping a catastrophe. But that couldn't be, could it? It was not possible! Harry didn't even know what the portrait was talking about, so how on earth was he supposed to be the solution to this big of a problem? Only yesterday, Harry didn't even have this gift...so how was he supposed to know how to use it? Also, he may be powerful, but he was only six years old…

Caught up in his thoughts, Harry gasped as he ran recklessly into another body. The force sent his smaller frame charging towards the hard floor, only to be interrupted by two strong arms stopping his fall. Eyed widening, he looked up towards his savior as the man straightened his robes and scowled down at him. Finally taking a look at his visage, Harry could only gape as he came face to face with Lord Voldemort's blood red eyes and midnight black hair.

"I'm s-sorry… I didn't mean to-to- bang into you…um…sir." Harry stuttered under the intense gaze of the Dark Lord.

"I was informed by Salazar that you broke through the wards on the door and ran out like a hooligan. May I have the pleasure to know _why_ you thought this course of action was appropriate?" Voldemort drawled, his lips pursing into a straight line, as if refraining him from uttering a spell.

Shrinking under the gaze, Harry could only stammer once more "The portrait…I mean, Salazar…he said something about a c-calamity of magic…and he was talking about balance and something about me being a solution. I-I didn't know what to believe…so I came to…err….find you."

"Do not stutter. It is extremely indecent and unflattering." And with that, the Dark Lord turned away sharply and strode towards the opposite direction, seemingly uncaring of the younger being left behind.

Reluctantly pausing, he turned his head and spoke softly enough that Harry had to strain his ears to listen "Come, I believe you and I need to have a little _talk_ about your abilities, and your role in this mishap of magic's power and balance."

The portraits of the manor could only stare in shock as the Dark Lord strode towards his study, with a young child sauntering along with a cheerful smile. However, if this shocked them, then nothing at all had them prepared as the Lord drawled towards his younger companion "You _may_ call me father."

All the way, Thomas Marvolo Riddle could only smirk as he thought of the brat's reaction towards the truth.

Oh, _dear_. Looks like Albus Dumbledore's kingdom of lies was going to _crush_.

* * *

><p><strong>Forest of Dean<br>England**

Ferocious gold eyes looked around wildly the man caught _the_ scent lingering through the forest.

Smirking viciously, Remus John Lupin dashed through the woods, following the scent with a crazed fervor. Destroying everything that came in his path, the werewolf howled in excitement as the scent became stronger. He was going to get his revenge…he was going to _kill_ those that harmed his cub. Oh, Remus wasn't worried about his cub's safety at the moment. Remus _knew_ that his cub was safe and apparently happy wherever he was. It wouldn't be hard to find his cub later one…_at the moment the only thing he wanted was vengeance_. His pack had been threatened...and he was going to annihilate everything that came in his way. The wolf inside him cackled in agreement …after all, even the _monster_ had a heart, didn't he?

The world was nothing but a theater of war. And it looked like the tables were finally turned.

Coming to an abrupt stop at a clearing, Remus took no time in howling towards the sky as he listened diligently for _them_ to come. His gold eyes swirled with magic and power, the air around him crackled with energy and rage...the wolf hummed under the attention that he seemed to be getting. It was time…time for him to finally take control of his responsibilities.

Crouching into the ground, Remus waited for the pack to come. Of course, he was not left dissatisfied. Merely seconds after his wail, the clearing was filled with dozens of men, all growling ferociously at the intruder. Smirking, Remus stood smoothly from his crouch, daring them to attack him. Glaring at those who dared to show their impertinence, the monster—no—_the wolf_ inside him purred in pleasure as they all shrank under his stare.

All of them seemed to fear him…all, except for one.

The alpha of the pack strode towards him, his eyes darkening and fists clenching dangerously. Staring at him with a gaze nothing less than critical, Greyback sneered at the figure standing confidently in front of him.

"And what do we have here? _Remus Lupin_…looks like you _did_ come crawling back, didn't you? After denying your position as the beta of the back for so long, looks like you finally _are_ back. And what motivated this change? Weren't you Albus Dumbledore's most trusted _minion_?" Fenrir Greyback mocked.

Laughter echoed through the pack, only to be shot down by Remus's fevered glare "I couldn't stay with that _man_ any longer, Fenrir! I should have listened to you…you were the alpha. You knew best."

Greyback chuckled "And what gave you the realization that Dumbledore would do nothing but betray you?"

"They _abused_ my cub. They hurt him! They preferred to pamper and indulge the _other_ just because of his status as the supposed Chosen One. He was treated worse than the house elves…They damaged him beyond repair by giving him nothing but hate and neglect. He was given the minimal amount of food…For Merlin's sake, they forgot his _birthday_! And that is not it. They considered him to be a burden, they called him a-a…_they called him a freak_. "

Gasps ran through the crowd as Remus ended his livid tirade. For a child to be treated with such negligence was nothing short of _disgusting_. Children were the future of the world and they were to be valued and appreciated beyond everything else. A child's magic is shaped by the love and protection given by the parents. Such treatment was unheard of in the magical world where children are and always have been cherished! This was one of the reasons why muggles were not liked by the magical society…and this was one of the reasons why the Dark witches and wizards did not want their world to be influenced by muggles.

To treat a child in such a way was _revolting_.

His eyes darkening in bristling anger, Remus clenched his fists, not even noticing as the trail of blood leaked down his fingers. Beads of sweat forming at his forehead as his insanity tried to take control. The anger was too much…the betrayal was too much for him to handle. His skin paling to a sickly color, Remus could do nothing but wait for Greyback's decision. Were they going to accept him? After he had turned his back on his pack…will they ever want him?

Caught up in his thoughts, Remus flinched when a warm hand landed on his shoulder. Staring into the surprisingly warm eyes, Remus could do nothing but sob in gratitude as his alpha accepted his magic and bound him to the pack. Threads of runes spinning around him, Remus closed his eyes in bliss as his magic swirled through the bindings, finally making him a part of something. His family had accepted him.

"Do not worry, we will get revenge…you cub is as much a part of this pack as you are. _And we take care of our own_."

Tears streaming down his face, Remus could do nothing but stare with unadulterated gratitude as they welcomed him back into their pack. The wolf howled in contentment as the pack bowed down to him, accepting him as their beta. Cackling with glee, Remus wiped his tears away…he would have his vengeance …_soon_.

* * *

><p><strong>12 Grimmauld Place<br>England**

Swirling yet another cigar in his hand, Orion Black stared into the identical grey eyes of his son. Many things had changed regarding his opinions towards his Sirius. Ever since he was young, Sirius had always idolized the light side…preferring to mingle with the light families other than his own. Ever since his oldest son was born, Orion had wanted him to follow the road that every Black had taken. While he never wanted either of his sons to be death eaters, Walburga had wanted them both to be faithful followers of the Dark Lord.

Orion had been devastated when his son chose to abandon his family. All these years had been spent in nothing but regret as he lost not only one, but both of his sons to opposite sides of the chess board.

Regulus died at the hands of the Dark Lord while Sirius chose to be a pawn to Albus Dumbledore.

However, now that Sirius was back with his family, Orion felt that nothing could possibly be better than it already was. The fact that his son had already named a boy as his heir was only icing on the cake. Right after Sirius's _appearance_ at the house and Arcturus's action of reinstating him as the heir of the family, the Black Family tapestry had not only included Sirius into the family, but also Harrison!

While this may have been a pleasant surprise, they were still facing the problem of locating Harrison. The tapestry indicated that the child was alive and well, but that did not do much to soothe their concerns. Sighing once more, Orion could only hope that everything would turn towards the better.

From what Arcturus told the family, Harry had indeed been severely mistreated. His eyes darkening, Orion could barely stop his anger from resurfacing. The fact that these supposed "light" wizards had been treating their children worse than filth was utterly horrifying…more than just disgusting! Children were supposed to be treasured… children were the precious diamonds of magic society!

However, this wasn't the only thing that had Orion's blood boiling. It was the fact that the child was Dorea's grandson! Not only that, but Harry was a Black by Sirius' blood. Now that it was revealed that Sirius had done a ritual, not only was Harry the eventual heir, but also as good as Sirius's own.

The Light wizards would pay. _Nobody_…_Nobody_ could hurt a Black and get away with it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>_Hey guys! *Dodges rotten tomato*  
>Sorry for being so late…again. Well, to make up for it, you can expect another chapter next week!<em>

_So far, everything had been going really slow in the story, but I guess that the real action begins in the next chapter. You will get to know the "truth" of magic, and things will finally get a move on. As for the Blacks and Remus, I don't plan on them discovering exactly who Harry is for a while. They will most probably find out before Harry turns 11. __**Also, last chance to vote!**_ _**The question is: Do you want Harry Potter to go to Hogwarts, Durmstrang, or be home-schooled?  
><strong>__I have a fair idea as to what I will do…but I guess you'll have to wait and see. __**Review!**__  
><em>


	5. Knowledge is Power

AN: I own nothing but my plot, everything else belongs to JK Rowling. I do not own the Harry Potter series.  
><em>Also, a shout out to my wonderful beta and friend, MioneMalfoy123. Try reading her story! It's extremely interesting.<em>

**_September 20th 2012 - AN 2: Sorry to everyone on the alert list who got an email for this. This is just me going through the chapter to get rid of any additional spelling/grammar mistakes. CHAPTER 6 WILL BE POSTED SOMETIME IN THE NEXT 10 DAYS!  
><em>**

* * *

><p><strong>The Dark Heir - <em>Chapter 5: Knowledge is Power <em>  
><strong>

**Argent Manor, Slytherin Citadel  
>Unknown Location<strong>

Windows cracked with the intensity of magic that seemed to be emanating from the two figures.

The Dark Lord's crimson eyes darkened in pleasure at the display of power. He could practically _taste _the magic coming off of the boy, and it was like a breath of fresh air. The balance was so close to returning…it would take a whole year, but he was willing to be patient. After all, patience was the key to success, wasn't it? Now that the process had already started, there was no way to stop it, and there was no doubt that Albus Dumbledore knew that already. Oh, what wouldn't he do to see how the old coot must have reacted to the transition?

Dumbledore must have been quite…_distraught_…to see years of his work go to waste in _seconds_. He could only imagine the look on the headmaster's face when he realized that magic had finally come back to her senses.

…Ah, the haughty bastard had it coming.

Voldemort directed his attention back towards Harrison, his eyes narrowed at the clueless boy who was currently squirming under his gaze. He would not tolerate this potential to be wasted by ignorance. No, he would nurture the boy to control his power.

A frigid smirk twisting into his face, the Dark Lord stared at his swirling glass of the finest elf made wine. It was time. It was finally time to turn the tables.

"The way our world works is not as simple as you have been taught to believe." Harrison gasped softly as Voldemort's voice cut through his senses like a shard of glass "There is much more to our world than just wands that force and bind magic into working towards our every need."

"Did you never wonder, child, why is it that we have magic and muggles do not? Why do almost all witches and wizards require wands? What it is that makes a wizard 'dark' or 'light'? What is the difference between a dark wizard and a Dark Lord? The common witches and wizards do not even bother to _think_ about these questions. They are quite content in just knowing that they can use magic...as a result, they are obviously ignorant about what lies behind the supposed _perfection_ of our world. Many agree that ignorance is bliss. They are wrong. _Ignorance is death_, and the faster you understand this, the better are your chances of survival."

"I-I understand, sir." Harrison whispered hesitantly, his voice thick with determination.

"_Good_." Voldemort nearly purred "It is good that you understand, because by the time I am done, ignorance will be..._ah_...a long lost memory. Always remember that knowledge is power, and ignorance is a _hindrance_ to your capabilities. What I am about to tell you now is something that very few people know in our world. This is a secret that has been hidden for centuries, and it is time for this secret to finally be revealed. Over the years, Dark and Light Lords have tried their best to maintain balance without _revealing_ the reality. Unfortunately, things have finally gone too far, and it is time to call in our council to set the wizarding world away from the road to calamity.

"There is a reason for everything, _Harrison_, and similarly, there is a reason why I will be telling you this secret. I did not take you in because you remind me of myself, or even because you are the supposed 'Chosen One'. That accursed prophesy is just a mere annoyance, it is not even a threat big enough to be the least of my problems. No, the reason why I took you in is because you are as much a part of that secret as I am."

The Dark Lord paused, taking another sip of his wine as his gaze pierced into emerald eyes filled with shock and confusion "What I am about to tell you will possibly destroy all your previous illusions of the world. And once you know this, there is no turning back, because this is who you are."

Not capable of saying or thinking anything else, Harrison merely nodded as he resigned himself to take the burden of knowledge. But the nod was enough for the Dark Lord, and before Harrison could go back on his decision, Voldemort was speaking again.

"As you may have guess already after yesterday, Magic is a sentient being. She is not a thing, but a living presence that has us constantly surrounded. Magic decides who is worthy enough to be bestowed with her presence, and who is not. There is a reason why muggles and squibs exist in this world, it is because they were deemed to be unworthy and would be better off without the presence of Magic. Similarly, there is another sentient being who watches after those that Magic rejects - Fate. You may have noticed that there are countless muggles that fall prey to genetic deformities, and diseases like cancer and AIDS.

"The reason why there are no magical beings are diagnosed with these problems is because Magic can overcome them. Magic is the reason why the House of Black has survived centuries of marrying people from their own family in an effort to keep their blood pure.

"However, there are also diseases that Fate can block but Magic cannot, like Spattergroit and Dragon Pox." Voldemort continued "Fate and Magic - despite the fact that they are not very fond of each other - work together to maintain balance in our world."

"Balance?" Harrison exclaimed "The portrait was talking about..." His voice wavered as the temperature dropped, and an unforgiving glare burned into his eyes.

"You are to be my son. It is unbecoming of you to interrupt rashly in the middle of a conversation that is helping you gain knowledge that is crucial towards your future." The Dark Lord drawled.

Not giving Harrison a chance to answer once more, Voldemort continued "It is monumental for the balance to be maintained. If the balance remains shaken for more than a century, the world would vaporize, releasing enough raw energy to make sure that the universe does not recover for _billions_ of years. Balance needs to be maintained in almost every aspect in our life.

"However, there are only a few things that would be enough to do such lasting damage if they are not in close balance. If this happens, then the powers of Fate and Magic would not be equal, and it would create enough imbalances to destroy our universe for good. The number of muggles and wizards needs to be in close balance, and so does the power that they have. Since wizards have extremely powerful magic, muggles have extremely powerful technology. Magic and technology are _always_ on the same page with each other.

"If there is an imbalance between muggles and magical beings for too long, then it will also create an imbalance between the powers of Fate and Magic. For every thousand muggles that die, thousand magical beings would have to die as well. It is because of this need to maintain balance that whenever muggles have war among themselves, so do magical beings. When the Light forces of Albus Dumbledore declared war against the Dark forces of Gellert Grindelwald, there was an ongoing war in the muggle world involving a man named Adolf Hitler. World War II ended in 1945, while the Magical War _also_ ended in 1945. This way, the muggle and magical being balance was maintained with the same number of people dying in both realms.

"Unsurprisingly, that was the time when the true age of imbalance started. But this time the imbalance wasn't between muggles and wizards, but between Magic itself. It is extremely important for there to be balance between Dark and Light Magic. It may not destroy the world, but can damage the world enough that it would at least take a few million years for us to start forming again. To..."

Voldemort's frigid voice stooped abruptly as he looked at his very eager looking heir, who was currently raising his right hand in the air and _waving_ it in the air like a hooligan. His eyebrow twitched.

"...Yes?"

"Father, I have a question." The brat explained, "How was there imbalance between Light and Dark Magic? And everybody says that Dark Magic should be banned because it's evil, so isn't that good?"

Voldemort's eye twitched, and there seemed to be a suspicious itch in his wand hand. Controlling himself, the Dark Lord glowered at Harrison "No, Dark Magic is not evil. Do not interrupt me again. If you had not interrupted me, you would have had the answer to your question already."

"I-I'm sorry, sir...I promise I won't interrupt again." Harrison stuttered.

"Very well." Voldemort drawled "To maintain the balance between Magic itself, Magic chooses two Lords, one for Dark and the other for Light. The two Lords are supposed to maintain balance, while ruling their magic. They are to ensure that the witches and wizards do not get biased towards a certain type of magic, resulting in one side getting depleted, while the other increases. Once again, the number of Dark magical beings has to equal the number of Light magical beings. Nature has made it so that when a witch or wizard is born, they are either born with a dark magical core or a light magical core. The problem arises when the public gets too biased and they begin to eradicate a specific side.

"Magic dates back to the times of ancient Egypt and Greece. Dark magic is not evil just because it has been labeled 'dark', and light is not good just because it has been labeled 'light'. In fact, when the first Dark and Light Lords were chosen, they were given the choice as to what they want to name their magic. It had been a lost bet that forced the Lord to label his realm as 'Dark'.

"As expected, this knowledge was lost in the centuries to come till it was a secret only known by the two Lords. As you already know, magical beings have a longer lifeline than muggles and squibs, mainly because our magical cores never stop growing, in an effort to counter the aging of our bodies. Because of this, the Magical Lords never have an age difference above three years. If one of the Lords was more than three years older than the other, his core would be almost double the size of the other Lord."

Pausing once more, Lord Voldemort slowly took another sip of his wine. Harrison could only shiver as the temperature dropped a couple of degrees and the wine glass in the Dark Lord's hand began to crack.

Harrison was no fool. He knew that his...father...was getting to part on _why_ the Dark and Light Magic were not in balance. And if he was not mistaken, this was the part where he would come to know whether or not the world was ending due to the imbalance. But there was one thing that Harrison still did not understand. How was he a part of this secret?

Lost in his thoughts, Harrison jumped as the Voldemort's voice invaded his senses once more.

"Centuries passed, and not once had the equity been disturbed. The world was in balance. But everything changed when two individuals were chosen by magic as the future Lords - Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald."

Harry gasped. _Albus Dumbledore was the chosen Light Lord? And Gellert Grindelwald was a Dark Lord? But then...Grindelwald wasn't evil? _

"While Dark Lord Grindelwald was well informed about the actual Law of Magic, Light Lord Dumbledore was not. Even after Dumbledore was informed by not only Grindelwald, but Magic as well, he did not acknowledge the truth. Dumbledore believed that Dark Magic was evil, and thus should not be allowed to exist. Steadily, he gained control of Hogwarts and poisoned the minds of young children with his beliefs. Grindelwald tried his best to maintain equilibrium, but to no avail...the world was already in belief that Grindelwald was trying to eradicate the muggles.

"Even though Dumbledore and Grindelwald had been friends, everything was destroyed when the Dark Lord tried to make the Light Lord see sense. Dumbledore believed that nature will set everything right when Dark Magic is gone. He had his own theory that somehow the world would not be destroyed. Albus led a _bloody war_ in effort to destroy all dark magical beings. But Grindelwald _could not_ allow that. As Dark Lord, it was his duty to protect his subjects that the Light Lord was trying to kill. In such a situation, he did the only thing that he could possibly do. He dueled.

"But since Dumbledore was two years older than Grindelwald and slightly more powerful, he was able to defeat the Dark Lord into submission. But that isn't what is so _disgusting_. Albus _destroyed _Gellert's magical presence, using an ancient spell created by Magic, and then threw him in Nurmengard Prison. The spell he used was originally created by magic to reject her presence to the Lords who would go against the laws and try to create imbalance. _The spell was meant for Dumbledore, but he instead used it on Grindelwald_." Voldemort continued, an expression of revulsion distorting his features.

"Gellert Grindelwald was _innocent_. Albus Dumbledore was the culprit of imbalance. And yet, the Light Lord left the Dark Lord as a mere _squib_."

Harrison gasped, clutching his chest protectively. A witch or wizard was _never_ stripped of his or her magical presence. Even if they commit a crime worse than death, their magic was _never_ taken away. To take away somebody's magic was worse than a sin. Without magic... a wizard would lose his mind, and there would always be a feeling of emptiness with nothing but horrors. The cavity left in their soul after the absence of magic would be like a black hole, or even a dementor. Trying to fill that gap, the soul end up sucking away all emotions until...

...Until a wizard is left with only emptiness. A wizard would still be able to laugh or cry...but never feel. There would be no emotion behind that laugh. There would be no anger behind that scowl.

But if Gellert was stripped of his magical presence, then whose realm did he belong to? Fate or Magic?

Starting as Voldemort started speaking again, Harrison gazed into the crimson eyes, knowing that his question would be answered "After being stripped of the presence, Magic had no choice but to reject him, while Fate would never let him step into his realm. That left Gellert as...nobody. Not part of any place. He was left to be _empty _with a presence of _nothing_."

"But then who became the next Dark Lord?" Harrison asked cautiously, his eyes widening in fear of what the answer would be.

"In the summer after 1945, Magic knew that she needed to pick another Dark Lord...fast. And she had to pick someone who was worthy _and_ someone who did not believe in Albus Dumbledore. She chose me." Voldemort drawled, anger flashing in his eyes as the tip of his wand threw Avada Kedavra green sparks.

Without warning, the windows cracked completely, coming crashing down towards the floor. Shattering into countless pieces, they flew everywhere, somehow managing to avoid the two wizards.

Raising an eyebrow, the Dark Lord stared without emotion at the blushing child sitting in front of him. Not feeling it was important enough to comment on, Voldemort simply fixed the windows with a lazy flick of his hand, not even bothering to comment on the situation.

"But as you have must have already guessed, because of difference in age between the Light Lord and me, his core is almost double the size of mine. For years, I could do nothing but recruit followers and protect the Dark Magical beings that were imprisoned and wronged by the world. I have tried my best to mend the mistakes of an ignorant fool, but I could not do so with the level of damage that had been done.

"The only solution that magic could provide was choosing another Dark Lord to create balance." Lord Voldemort whispered, his voice laced with magic "I had been waiting for this to happen for so long that I had almost lost hope." Voldemort smirked "Imagine my surprise when an abused six year old with a dark core managed to break through the wards set by my death eaters. And imagine my surprise when this six year old had a suspicious memory of getting the '_Gift of Magic' _that sounded extremely close to the feeling of getting chosen."

Harry's heart was beating faster than he could ever imagine it beating, as his brain registered exactly _what_ Lord Voldemort had just said. He could feel his core flaring restlessly as it begged him to accept himself for who he was...for what he was chosen for.

"...Me? I am a...Dark Lord?" He stuttered, his voice sounding weak and strangled even to his own ears.

"Yes, you are. Are you going to choose your right path? Are you willing to accept yourself for who you are? Will you aid me in bringing back the balance to the world?" Voldemort purred "Albus Dumbledore needs to be punished for what he has done. Once you have reached a certain age, your magical core will grow enough for us to have complete equilibrium with the light. You will gradually grow stronger, and so will I. We would be able to defeat Albus Dumbledore and bring back the balance."

"But wouldn't killing him disrupt even more balance?" Harrison questioned.

Voldemort chuckled darkly, a delighted expression crossing his face "Why, aren't you a smart one? No, we are not going to kill Albus Dumbledore. And we are not going to take away his magical presence. All you need to know for now is that in the end, everything will fall into place and balance shall not be disturbed. You _will _know, but not when you are only six years old. I will be very surprised if you understood even half of what I said, but for now...you understand enough. But before we go further, do you accept your role?"

Taking in a shaky breath, Harrison closed his eyes as he struggled to control his core. In just the last few days, his life had changed completely. And he did not want to go back to the life he used to have. He was done being a weakling. He was not going to let anyone stomp over him.

It seemed that just like everything else, every single fault in his life was due to Albus Dumbledore.

He would take revenge.

He would fight for every single person whose life the Light Lord had ruined. He was going to fight for himself, for all those Dark Witches and Wizards, for all those Dark creatures, for Gellert Grindelwald, and for every life that was lost.

The old coot was going down.

"I accept, _father_." Harrison whispered.

The effect was spontaneous. Within seconds, Harrison's core _changed_. It was as if the flood gates finally opened, and the presence of Magic was pouring into him, filling him with power and emotions of love, and most of all...a feeling that he had never had the pleasure of feeling before. The feeling of _home_. It went away as soon as it came, and he was alone in the room with Lord Voldemort again. However, this time when he opened his eyes, he felt complete. He hadn't even realized that there was a whole in his heart until it was filled for the first time.

"Excellent." Voldemort hissed, "Now that you have accepted, it is time to tell you exactly _what_ our plans are for the future. If you can remember what I said at the beginning, there are only four people in the world who know if this secret. However, we need help with our plans, and it is finally time for us to call in our Dark Council. As I said before, all of this is forgotten knowledge. There was a time when even a three year old would know of everything that I told you today. In the early times, Dark and Light Lords had their own council."

"But...how do we know who the people in the council are? Couldn't they just be your Death Eaters?" Harrison questioned, a confused frown on his young face.

"You are clever. You may still be an over-emotional Hufflepuff, but you are clever." The Dark Lord smirked approvingly "The Head Lord and Heir of every Dark _Noble and Most Ancient House _make up our council. The Council also includes selected members from every pack of werewolves, coven of vampires, and families of Magical creatures. Every council would have a protective force, and that would be my Death Eaters. Eventually, you will have to make up your own protective force to lead since you are the younger Dark Lord, and technically my heir.

"As for maintaining the balance, after a year on your birthday, you will have a spurt that every magical child goes through. The power that you will get after that growth spurt will put us on an equal footing with Dumbledore, and return the balance. At your second magical spurt, we will finally surpass Dumbledore, giving us an advantage of about three years more worth of magical core."

"But right now," Voldemort said "You need to go rest. The acceptance has left your core heavily unstable, and you do not need to exert yourself. I will call in a house-elf to lead you to your room and give you food and refreshments. We will talk tomorrow about your lessons and the council...Twinky!"

With a loud pop that echoed through the room, and small house-elf with eyes as big as tennis balls stared up expectantly "Master?"

"Twinky, Harrison will be your new master. You are to be his personal elf. Please lead him back to his rooms and get him something to eat. Also, prepare a bath for when he wakes up."

"Yes Master!" Twinky the house-elf squealed, before turning to Harrison "Young master, you shall follow Twinky."

With one last nod from the Dark Lord, Harrison left the room behind, barely remembering as he was ushered back to his room. He could barely taste the food as he gulped down every last bit. He could barely remember as he nearly passed out as soon as his head touched the pillow.

Through all of this, there were only a few thoughts that went through his mind. After everything that had happened today, there was no doubt that his life would never be the same again. Ever since he was born, he had been taught to believe that the Dark Arts are evil. He had been taught to believe that Albus Dumbledore was an honorable man who dedicated his life to the wizarding world. And just like that, every illusion was shattered. For so long, the Light Lord had been fooling countless people with his gentle smile and twinkling eyes. To think that such a man destroyed somebody's magical presence was unthinkable. Harrison felt nothing but disgust as he thought of how the Potters used to worship the man. It was because of this man that his parents never loved him. And it was because of this man that he lost six years of his childhood.

_He would have his revenge against Dumbledore_.

However, other than his revenge against Dumbledore, there was another sentence being played over and over in his mind as he recalled his conversation with Lord Voldemort. It was as if his body went into a temporary state of shock as he comprehended what the words meant.

...Moony and Padfoot might be part of the council.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:<strong> Hey guys!  
>Thanks for the 46 people that reviewed for the last chapter. Thanks a lot for every favorite and follow! Every single review has been read and greatly appreciated.<br>_

_Now, that you know about the "truth of magic", let me know what you think!  
>So, now I have a fairly good idea of whether Harry is going to be home schooled, will go to Durmstrang, or Hogwarts.<br>New question - **SLASH or NO SLASH?  
>TIME SKIP or NO TIME SKIP?<br>MEET COUNCIL NOW OR DON'T MEET COUNCIL NOW?**  
><em>

_Review!  
><em>


	6. The Meeting

AN: I own nothing but my plot, everything else belongs to JK Rowling. I do not own the Harry Potter series.  
><em>Also, I would like to add a shout out to my wonderful beta and friend, MioneMalfoy123. Try reading her story! It's extremely interesting.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>The Dark Heir: <strong>_**Chapter 6 – The Meeting**_

**Lord Chamber, Malfoy Manor  
>Unknown Location<strong>

_"Sanctimonia Vincet Semper"_

His fingers trailed down the weathered carvings that lay innocently on the antique crest. Struggling to control his frustration, he gazed at the carved words nostalgically. He couldn't let his aggravation cloud his sense of judgment. "I am a Malfoy." He whispered to himself "…and Malfoys never let their emotions stand between their ambitions.'

Letting his eyes roam through the crest, he couldn't lie that the familiar _feel _of the symbols warmed his heart. It comforted him, and it helped him catch the tendrils of control that were slipping away from his grasp. He tasted the three Latin words on his tongue, curving his lips into a smile when they rolled effortlessly from his mouth. "_Sanctimonia Vincet Semper_".

_Purity always conquers_.

Considering the fact that the Malfoys had always been one of the few families to stick to the old traditions, it wasn't a surprise that their family crest paid tribute to the ancient beliefs of the dark. The Malfoy family history dated back to the enthralling eleventh century, starting with the enigmatic Armand Malfoy, who arrived in Britain with the Norman Conquest, and was given land in Wiltshire as a precious gift of his services to King William I. Lord Armand Malfoy built the Malfoy estate, and designed the Malfoy manor that exists to this day. In the few years before his death, Armand crafted the Malfoy Family Crest with his own magic, and _locked away _the_ true meaning _of the symbol in his_ journal_.

To every pureblood family, their crest was their _beating_ _heart_.

Generation after generation, each Lord of the House would bind his magic to the crest and swear on his blood to lead, love, and protect the family name. During the ritual, the Lord would let a drop of his blood seep into the crest, and unite the family with stronger magic than the previous. Thus, there was a _reason_ why the family crest was to be valued above any exquisite jewel. The family crest was the center of the bond. It was in all reality the beating heart. After years of binding magic into the crest, it eventually awakens from slumber with an array of vivacious colors and a flamboyant sensation that sweeps the family with a sensation of…being alive.

Letting his fingers run through the massive and nearly eight hundred year old crest once more, Lucius Malfoy could only wonder what was recorded in the mysterious journal, and _who_ the remarkable Lord Armand Malfoy was. Unfortunately, the journal had strangely and unexplainably disappeared a few centuries ago, and precious family secrets of the crest had disappeared…forever. The Malfoys had grieved incessantly for this loss, and a small curl of the connection had _snapped_, leaving behind no memory of the history of their crest. While the loss of that small tendril was not incredibly dreadful, it was still regretful. He wondered what the connection would have felt like if –

_Crack!_

Snapping out of his drifting thoughts, Lucius did not bother to pay any attention to the house elf as it delivered the morning's edition of the Daily Prophet, along with the various letters, and the regular Indian tea.

After all, there were more pressing matters for Lucius to worry about.

Suppressing his frustration and anxiety, Lucius reached for his silk embroidered left sleeve with trembling fingers. He paused and closed his eyes for a few seconds before abruptly snapping his eyes open and nearly tearing the cloth off in his rush to lift it up. His eyes fell towards his left arm, his body immediately relaxing as he caught sight of the dark mark in all its glory.

It was still there. It had not disappeared.

Unconsciously sighing in relief, he almost collapsed into the overstuffed chair in the most un-Malfoy-like and unsophisticated manner.

The Dark Lord's inactivity had been plaguing him for days now. It was unusual for the Dark Lord to go two months without a single meeting. Death Eaters all around the world were exchanging frantic letters, asking almost hysterically about the health of their master. Every single day, it was a relief to see the Dark Mark, not a shade lighter than what it was on the first day. However, their lord's disappearance was not the only thing that seemed to be disquieting the dark families. It had been two months since it happened, but not a single dark witch or wizard had forgotten. Two month ago, on the startlingly calm night, something had changed. Their cores had hummed and grown, their magic had danced in glory, and their power had lost the damaged hole that increased with each day.

Their magic had _evolved_. Their cores had trembled in excitement before settling peacefully for what seemed like the first time in their lives.

However, ever since that day, the Dark Lord had not called again.

Sighing once more, Lucius stood gracefully and walked over to sit near the window overseeing the Malfoy estate. Carelessly piling the letters on the side, he took a sip from the steaming cup of Indian tea, skimming through the Daily Prophet headlines. "_Two Months Have Passed - Other Twin Still Not Found_", "_Aurors Lose Hope Over Lost Twin Case_", "_A Goodbye to Harrison Potter_." Snorting indignantly, Lucius was not surprised to see that the headlines were yet again about Harry Potter, who had been lost around two months ago. Once again staring at the picture at the front cover, he chuckled humorlessly. Oh yes, he could see _exactly_ how devastated the Potters were about this loss.

Carelessly throwing the Daily Prophet into the scorching fireplace, he reached for the letters, sifting through them in an almost dismissive manner. Irritation building up in his chest, he almost threw the pile into the blistering flames when something in the pile caught his attention…

…it was a black envelope, skillfully embroidered with an intimidating but elegant silver snake slithering around the corner, with the…_dark mark_.

It was a letter from the dark lord.

However, for the first time Lucius noticed something new on the letter. There, on the center of the letter was a symbol…a symbol that was bound to the letter with magic.

It was the _magical symbol _of_ balance_.

Lucius froze.

Throwing the other parchments on the floor, he reached for the letter desperately, before making a small cut on his finger wandlessly and letting a single drop of blood fall on the embroidered snake's mouth. The letter flew open, radiating heat as it did so, and Lucius urgently tore his eyes into the words. His eyes raked over the words over and over again, until his mind was satisfied that he was not hallucinating or imagining this.

Gripping the expensive parchment tightly in his fingers, Lucius summoned his tray of floo powder before jumping into the fireplace and disappearing into green flames with nothing but an exclamation of "_Guest Entrance, Number 12 Grimmauld Place, England!"_

…However, if Lucius had stayed only a minute longer to collect his thoughts from the past few hours, he would have connected the dots of the events that occurred in the last sixty days…

As he left, the words echoed in his ears...

_"Sanctimonia Vincet Semper"_

* * *

><p><strong>Headmaster's Office<br>Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

"_Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men_." There are only few great men and women who do not stray from their ambitions, and prove themselves to be exceptions to this rule.

And Albus Dumbledore was definitely not one of those exceptions.

He sat regally inside his office, a darkening aura surrounding his wand, and his arm jerking in a volatile manner as he made an elaborate wand movement. A bowl of lemon drops laced with medications lay forgotten on his desk. The newspaper in front of him burst into flames as the young face of Harrison Potter crumbled to ashes. Panting heavily, his eyes darkened with rage as his shaking frame emanated escaping tendrils of raw power. The air was thick with magic, making it hard to breathe as heat burned into his skin. The room felt like it was running out of air, like it was shrinking and decreasing as the walls drew closer and locked him into an embrace. The leaked energy pushed against him, trying get _through_ his skin, drawing gasping breaths as his body felt like it was going to _burst_. The stems of leaked magic _surged_ inside him, and—

It was over.

"I should know better by now…it is too much of a risk to let my anger control me." The headmaster rasped to himself as he stumbled towards his bowl of lemon drops coated with medication. His wrinkled fingers shakily drew one of the supposed "sweets" and popped it inside his mouth. Within seconds, the shaking disappeared and his old body stabilized once more.

Calmly, he steadied himself against his chair, his face altering into a mask of calculation. Drawing himself up proudly, he straightened his back and squared his shoulders as his previously trembling hand twisted sharply, summoning his fallen wand towards him.

Two months had passed since _that_ _night_.

Somehow, there had been a shift in the magic, and dark and light were _extremely_ close to becoming equal. There was a new Lord. However, to make the situation worse, the other Potter twin had mysteriously disappeared. Oh, he wasn't worried about the disappearance of young Harry. After all, the boy was not of any importance in his plans. However, the boy's disappearance had brought to light Lily and James's behavior towards him, and needless to say, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were not pleased. To make matters worse, he was sure that the new Lord had already been approached by Voldemort, and if the second shift in magic was anything to go by, he had already accepted his powers.

This was bad. By the amount of magical increase in the Dark Side, Dumbledore was sure that the new lord was a child…and children were easy to shape and manipulate. As he was sitting in his office, Voldemort could be somewhere else, carefully poisoning the child's mind against the light side. And then it was only a matter of time before the two dark lords would have the ability crush him completely. He wasn't worried about them attempting to get destroy him. Dumbledore scoffed. They didn't have half the experience that he did. However, they were threats, and they could influence people against him.

_No_.

He could not let this happen. He needed to crush the seed before it grew into its power. Dumbledore supposed that he should feel guilty about getting rid of a child's magical presence…No. It was for the Greater Good.

Sighing, he walked towards the window, watching over the breathtaking grounds of Hogwarts. Now all he needed was a plan to stop any of the evil from contaminating the good. He could imagine the world in his head, a world without filthy dark wizards and creatures…a world without the evil of vampires and werewolves.

He had two sides to him; a side for the public, that was accepting of all wizards, witches, and creatures. And then he had a second side…his true self that was willing to do _anything_ to achieve his goals…of eradicating all darkness in this world.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dumbledore threw his head back into wild laughter. A haze covered his eyes, obscuring the clear blue, and his demeanor darkened once more. A maniacal look in his eyes, his laughter echoed through the chamber, with fast winds that chilled the walls and terrified the house elves.

Suddenly, his laughter stopped and he brought his hand towards his head, pressing lightly on his temples at the pain as he felt the shadow that seemed to be _cloaking_ his mind. The presence had been in his mind for a long time now. It was the slight veil that enclosed his mind into an embrace…it was painful, yes, but it was indeed a part of him. It whispered in his ears and it caressed his magic. It urged him to make his decisions, and it urged him to follow his ambitions. The presence in his mind was his lover, and it was his greatest fear.

"_Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it._" And Dumbledore could be considered to be a prime example to this statement.

…Because if any person cared to carefully look at Albus Dumbledore, they would discover something. If any person cared to look behind his mask, they would find a frightening but incredibly surprising secret.

Albus Dumbledore was insane. He was an insane man let loose with _power_.

* * *

><p><strong>12 Grimmauld Place<br>England **

His fingers gently traced the line that connected his face and name to Harrison's. The moment that Arcturus had said the words, the family tapestry had instantly removed the black mark covering his face, and had instead accepted him back with open arms. However, that's not what surprised him. No, what _did_ surprise him was the addition of Harry's name to the family as his official son and heir. Harry…_his son_. Holding back a sigh, he could only mournfully trace Harry's young features on the tapestry. Two months had passed by and Harry had not been found. His father and grandfather had _ripped_ through the ministry to look for Harry. Sirius didn't think that he had ever seen his grandfather so angry. Arcturus Black was a calm, collected, and cunning man…he was _not_ rash and not a man to let his temper control his actions. However, the rage that had darkened his face was enough to have the lower ministry employees cowering with fear.

It was the first time that Sirius realized exactly _why_ the Blacks were not to be crossed.

His harsh breathing broke the eerie silence that was thick enough to congest him. His fists clenched, leaving glaring crescent shaped marks on his palms. His magic was _mourning_.

"…Sirius."

The gentle voice interrupted his musings as Sirius turned back to see his mother standing expectantly on the doorway. Even after all this time, it was odd for Sirius to talk to his mother and not receive her ferocious anger, stabbing disappointment or heart wrenching dissatisfaction. His mother had always had a commanding, domineering presence. However, what Sirius had not been able to understand in his younger years was that the reason why his mother acted the way she did. It wasn't until now could Sirius understand her frustration all those years ago when Sirius was being _manipulated_ into believing the bigoted rumors about the dark side.

He finally understood her. Sirius didn't think that even he would be able to handle it if Harrison decided to turn his back on him and become Dumbledore's lapdog.

It wasn't that he hated the light side…no, it was just that for the first time, he actually _understood_ the dark side. This was a stage in his life that left him confused. Everything that he had believed was a lie, all he had right now was his family to guide him. He still couldn't completely believe that Voldemort was "good". But he couldn't believe that Dumbledore was "good" either. Sighing, Sirius stared into his mother's eyes, his heart soaring at the love he found in there.

"...Mother?"

Walburga Black gazed at her son's dark and haunted eyes. She could see the underlying fury and the storm that threatened to explode. Regardless of the circumstances, Sirius was still a _Black_. If he gray eyes, naturally styled midnight hair, and elegance did not scream of his lineage, his temper, dominance, and ability certainly did. If a Black wanted something, the Black would _get it_—no exceptions. And if Sirius did not get his wish fulfilled, he would erupt—and everybody else would pay. Walburga hoped that Harrison was found soon. Having a raging Sirius was enough, but having a livid Arcturus and fuming Orion would be an overwhelming flood that could drown numerous houses.

"Your presence is required in the Lord's Chamber." She spoke softly "I believe it is something of great importance."

Nodding sharply, Sirius whispered his gratitude before gracefully turning from the tapestry and striding towards the chamber. His expensive Italian shoes clicked smartly against the polished wood as he walked briskly towards the center wing. Reaching the chamber, he raised his right hand and knocked swiftly before swinging the door open and walking inside the tastefully designed room.

When his mother herself came to summon his to this meeting, Sirius knew that this was of utter significance. However, he had not imagined it to be this vital when he strode into the chamber to find his father, grandfather, and strangely enough, _Lucius Malfoy_ sitting around the desk, looking intently at the contents of two already opened black envelopes. However, the expressions on their faces were not of fear or anxiety, but of _bewilderment_ and _mystification_. From his view, Sirius could clearly see three glasses of the fine elf made wine, and three cigars lying innocently near the envelopes. The fact that his grandfather was smoking a cigar was enough to ring Sirius alarm bells. His grandfather _never_ touched a cigar unless he was greatly stressed.

Looking back at the three occupants, he was not surprised to see all three of them staring expectantly at him. The air was thick with anxiousness, and Sirius found it hard to speak under the weight of _tension_ that was heavy on his shoulders.

"Ah, Sirius, you are here." Arcturus spoke, his voice thick with stress "I am sure you know this charming gentleman sitting with us today." Arcturus paused as Sirius bowed his head in acknowledgment and firmly shook Lucius's hand "As you must know, the Malfoys and Blacks have been allies for centuries and after a…strange—but not necessarily distressing—event that occurred today, Lord Malfoy thought it was best for us to discuss the causes, reasons, and possible actions that could be taken for the situation. Before we begin, why don't you take a seat with us?"

Nodding, Sirius fell gracefully into the luxurious leather seat as Orion poured him a glass of wine, and handed him a cigar. Refusing the cigar politely, Sirius took a sip of his wine before looking expectantly at the three purebloods.

Lucius cleared his throat lightly before picking up the two black envelopes from the table "These letters arrived this morning at both the Malfoy Manor and Black Manor, and I recognized exactly who it was from the moment I saw it. You see, for the past two months, the Dark Lord has been strangely inactive, and has not been in contact with any of his followers. Two months ago, all witches and wizards experienced a shift in their magic and possibly a change in the _flow_ and their power. Since it was barely noticeable, a witch or wizard might not have noticed it if they were somehow occupied or were already experiencing magical changes because of…ah….emotional instability or trauma.

However, that is not the point…the point is that ever since that night, the Dark Lord did not call his followers again."

Taking a deep breath, Lucius stopped and took a sip of his wine "This changed today. The letter that you see in my hand is from the Dark Lord, and it was sent to not only the Death Eaters, but to every single Lord and Heir of Dark Houses in the world."

"What does the letter contain?" Sirius asked calmly, his calculating gray eyes glinting sharply in the light.

"The letter…" Orion began "—contains an invitation to a meeting that is _tonight_. I am sure you can understand what _meeting_ I am talking about, Sirius."

Sirius gasped. Surely he wasn't talking about…?

_The meeting_…rumors of this meeting had been passed on for centuries. The reason for this meeting and what it contains is forgotten knowledge, but it is known that once the letter is received, attendance to the meeting is mandatory. Sirius could still remember the day when his father had called him into his personal study and told him of _the meeting_. It was a dream for every Lord to be part of the time when this meeting is finally appealed. According to legends, the information that would be provided in this meeting could change the dynamics of this very world. Sirius had always thought that it to be a load of mumbo-jumbo, but after everything that had happened in the past months, Sirius had truly lost sense of what was possible and what was not.

As a child, he had never really understood the importance of this meeting. After all, nobody knew what the meeting was about, nobody knew who would be the caller of this meeting, and nobody knew what to expect. The only thing that was known was the fact that it was of extreme significance and that attendance was mandatory.

For a moment, all Sirius wanted to was to believe that it was a lie. For a moment, he was sorely tempted to ask exactly how they knew that the letters were not forged, or how they knew that the whole invitation was not propaganda or a scam. But Sirius could see the magical symbol of balance. And that was something that was impossible to replicate. The only person in possession of the symbols was the sender of this letter.

Swallowing heavily, Sirius could feel the blood pumping from his heart, and the single drop of sweat that fell from his right temple. "That would mean that the _Dark Lord_ is the person meant to appeal _the meeting_ of the Dark Houses." Sirius whispered, with tension thick in his voice. "…What are we going to do?"

Arcturus's eyes gazed into his own as his grandfather raised his chin proudly, his baritone voice filling the room "We will go."

Yes, they would go. Because the Blacks were the purest of the pure, and because they of all people would never turn their backs on their cultures and traditions. They had a chance to be part of something that would change the magical world. As purebloods, it was part of their obligation to shape the magical world into something better. And if knowing this secret would finally make things better, then they would be a part of it.

_They would go_.

* * *

><p><strong>Argent Manor, Slytherin Citadel<br>Unknown Location**

Harrison sighed as he walked towards his father's study. He had been summoned…again.

The last two months at Argent Manor had certainly been eventful for both him and his father. To be honest, he had been surprised that his father didn't immediately call the council after Harrison accepted his role in the balance. He had been extremely indignant when his father said that Harrison had to be prepared first, but now that he thought about, he knew why the Dark Lord had insisted on waiting.

Since the _Potters_ had never really bothered to teach Harrison any basic pureblood traditions and culture, it was utterly important for Voldemort to teach Harry all that was required from a pureblood heir before taking a step towards the council. It was a pity, really. The Potters had been a prestigious, noble and ancient house, and were one of the oldest pureblood houses in Britain. They had been greatly respected by both light and dark wizards. However, all that had changed when James Potter decided to marry Lily Evans. And the reason for this change wasn't because he married a muggleborn.

No, the reason for this change was because Lily Evans was blatantly disrespectful to the laws of the magical world, and to pureblood culture and traditions. She was not ready to accept this world the way it was. She was completely against the concept of house elves, even though there was a _reason _why they worked for wizards; she also completely disregarded the fact that if the house elves need to be magically bound to a family or a wizard for them to be alive. They need the magic provided by the bond, or they would die! Then there was the fact that _she_ came to _their_ world and had the courage to actually try to change the way _they_ lived, without bothering to learn the reasons behind the culture. And Harry wasn't even going to talk about her bigotry against dark wizards.

In the last few months, Harrison had learned more about etiquette, magic, magical laws, culture, and customs than he had learned in his whole life of six years!

Yes, if Harry had faced his father's death eaters and the council without all the knowledge he had now, he would have been _crushed_ ruthlessly.

They would have mercilessly attacked his lack of etiquette and his inability to hide his emotions, even though he was only six years old. No, age did not matter in pureblood culture. If a child was the heir, then the child was expected to act like an heir. Even though Harrison had a lot more to learn, and even though there was much that could be corrected, he was a lot more prepared than he would have been two months ago.

However, just because Harrison understood why his father had postponed the meeting did not mean that he was happy about it. He needed to meet his Uncles Padfoot and Moony _desperately_. Padfoot was like a father to him, and Harrison hadn't seen him in two whole months! He had wanted to ask his father about meeting them, but did not want to make him angry and seem ungrateful. Also, Harrison had a feeling that his father already knew.

Sighing, he stopped in front of a door, and knocked timidly, waiting for a reply.

"Enter, you irritating child."

Holding back a smile, Harrison slowly opened the door and walked inside to find his father sitting behind his desk, looking at a stack of papers. Yes, he knew that his father was a bit on the sinister and odd side, but he was more than Harrison could hope for. When he had first met Voldemort, he knew that he was only tolerating him because of his powers, but now Harrison had a feeling that his father was actually getting used to him being around. It had been strange calling the man his father and still was, but he was getting used to it as well. However, Harrison _idolized_ his new daddy. He was everything he wanted to be when he grew up!

Taking a seat in front of the desk, Harrison waited for his father to speak. Since he knew this could take a while, he simply settled for looking at his father. A few minutes passed before his father finally sighed and gazed at Harrison. With a wave of his hand, a tray appeared on the table, carrying a cup of tea and a glass of milk with biscuits.

"Do not slouch. Sit up straight, and lift your chin." Voldemort snapped.

"Yes father." Harrison beamed, as Voldemort glared again.

"I have decided that you are ready to be introduced to the council, should there be a need to. Thus, I have already sent out the invitations for the council meeting. If there is a need to introduce you to any of the members, I trust and expect you to be ready." His father said, as Harry gulped down his milk "Now go, and prepare."

Nodding, Harrison stood from his chair and walked towards the door, when –

"Due to some necessary circumstances that will be explained to you tonight, you will be meeting your mutts."

Gasping, Harry froze on his spot. _He was going to meet Sirius and Remus_. He couldn't believe his ears…he was going to meet Moony and Padfoot. A childish smile lighting his face, Harrison ran towards his father, jumping into his chest and hugging him tightly. He could feel his father stiffening, before awkwardly patting his head. Nearly laughing with joy, he jumped out of his father's arms before running towards the door to get dressed.

"And wipe the milk from your face, you savage child." He heard his father bark as he rushed towards his room.

* * *

><p><strong>Headmaster's Chamber.<br>Durmstrang Institute. **

With trembling fingers, Igor Karkaroff picked up the portkey that came with the invitation to _the meeting_. In all of his life, Igor had never thought that he would get the chance to be a part of something that could change the whole magical world. And to think that the Dark Lord himself was calling this meeting! He could feel it in the air, in the winds, and in the magic itself…everything was going to change.

Closing his eyes, Igor breathed deeply, feeling the rush of magic in his core. If ever he had doubted the Dark Lord before, he certainly didn't doubt his lord now. His Lord truly was one of the most powerful men he had ever seen.

Gazing out the window, he gazed at the castle, watching as his students went about their business after classes.

Every single one of these children had been shunned for the dark nature of their magic. This was one of the prime reasons why they did not allow Light wizards and muggleborns into this school. When this school was made, it was for the purpose to create an institute where children could go to enhance their dark cores and truly focus on the magic that they were best at. However, in the last few decades, this school had turned into a sanctuary for dark children, a place where they would not be shunned for something that they were born with. It was truly a pity, what the magical world had turned into.

It was almost impossible for wizards with dark cores to practice their magic without being shunned and called evil. However, all this was about to change. The world will finally see its mistakes, and people will finally get the freedom to perform their magic.

Everything was going to change, and the world was going to be shocked into silence.

* * *

><p><strong>Forest of Dean<br>England **

Remus Lupin stared intently at his alpha. He did not like the idea of the meeting without knowing _what_ it would entail, especially if Voldemort was the one initiating it.

…But, for some reason the wolf hummed with pleasure every time the meeting was mentioned. As much as he used to hate the idea, the _monster_ was his other half, and would not let him get into anything that would harm him or anybody from his pack. Every time he thought about not going to the meeting, the monster would snarl inside him, clawing at his soul, and growling loud enough for his chest to vibrate with anger.

Sighing resignedly, Remus nodded reluctantly at Fenrir.

The beast _purred_.

* * *

><p><strong>Throne Room, Argent Manor<br>Slytherin Citadel  
>Unknown Location<strong>

It was only a matter of time before they would start arriving.

Smirking viciously, Voldemort silently thanked magic for finally getting back to her senses and attempting to restore the balance. The child could be incessantly irritating, but Harrison was growing on him. He was extremely bright for his age, and Voldemort was—dare he say—slightly proud of him.

After the balance was restored, they would be a step closer to stopping Albus Dumbledore from manipulating the whole wizarding community to be bigots. Sighing, Voldemort caressed Slytherin's ring on his finger. Ah, his beloved horcrux.

He was no fool. He understood that even after the balance was restored it would be a hard journey to finally capture Dumbledore. If it had been possible, Voldemort would have bound Dumbledore's magic years ago. But Dumbledore was no fool either. The moment when the old coot had planned to get Grindelwald out of the way by getting rid of his magical presence, he had already found a plan to stop somebody else from doing the same to him.

_Albus Dumbledore had made horcruxes_.

While the horcrux divided a witch or wizard's soul, and gave a person the gift of immortality, it also divided a person's _magic_ itself. A person could still access his magic while it was in a horcrux, but he still would be unable to access his soul. If a person made multiple horcruxes, the only way to get rid of or bind his magical presence would be to make the horcruxes into _one piece_ once more. Voldemort had learned of this during his last few years at Hogwarts, after the defeat of Gellert Grindelwald, and had taken measures to stop Dumbledore from getting rid of his magical presence, should he discover that Tom was the new Dark Lord.

He had never wanted to split his soul. But desperate times came to desperate measures. His priority was to protect his people, and stop Dumbledore. While his methods of torture and death may not be the best, it was the only choice he had. Once the balance was restored, it would indeed be a long journey before they could start gathering Dumbledore's horcruxes.

However, the Dark still had the upper hand, and it was time for them to turn the tables.

Waiting for his council to show up, Voldemort could only think of the meeting with the brat's mutts. Black and Lupin would be in for a shock, and so would Harrison. There was indeed a _reason_ why he felt the need to meet them.

And it was an extremely important reason.

Pulling away from his thoughts, Voldemort smirked as he cast a _tempus_ charm to view the time.

...3...2...1...

…And countless witches and wizards spun swirled into existence with their portkeys as they descended gracefully towards the ground.

"Let the first meeting of the council begin."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:<strong>__ OH-MY-GOD! 90 REVIEWS…I GOT __**90 REVIEWS**__!  
>You have no idea how happy you guys have made me. And I'm sorry for not updating for like a month. I've been really busy…so I'm so sorry!<br>*Dodges rotten tomato*  
>Anyways, what do you think of this chapter? What do you think is the "extremely important" reason why Voldemort wants to see the Blacks and Remus? Also, what do you think of Armand Malfoy? And what do you think of the horcruxes and Dumbledore?<br>Questions: __**SLASH OR NO SLASH?**_

_**TIME SKIP**__ (after chapter 7) __**TO THE NEXT MAGICAL GROWTH SPURT, OR NO?**_

_**YES to OCs, or NO. **_

_**HOGWARTS, DURMSTRANG, HOMESCHOOLED, or ALL?**_


	7. The Storm Breaks Through

**AN:** I own nothing but my plot, everything else belongs to JK Rowling. I do not own the Harry Potter series.  
><em>Also, I would like to add a shout out to my wonderful beta and friend, MioneMalfoy123. Try reading her story! It's extremely interesting.<br>_  
>As I write this chapter, Hurricane Sandy howls outside my house (I live in New Jersey), and if I go outside, I can see the Empire State in the midst clouds. My parents are preparing emergency supplies that I hope we'll most probably not use. I hope that everyone came out safe from the storm, and I hope that none of you experienced any casualties. Stay safe! <em>(Yes, I wrote the previous part like two months ago... that's how early I started writing this chapter...Hope that you all safely went through the storm)<em>

**THIS CHAPTER IS IMPORTANT.  
><strong>_**DO NOT SKIP ANY PARTS**_**, **_**OR YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THE STORY**_** IN THE CHAPTERS THAT ARE TO COME.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>The Dark Heir: <strong>_**Chapter 7 – The Storm Breaks Through**_

**Throne Room, Argent Manor  
>Slytherin Citadel<br>Unknown Location **

…Silence.

If the situation had not been of such great importance and significance, it would have been quite a comical site. Countless powerful witches, wizards and creatures stood in the focus of overpowering silence as the stress in the air rose to a clogging intensity.

While it may seem absurd at the moment, this was a crucial moment in history that would be remembered as the day of the Magical Awakening.

Vicious thunder broke through the silence like a thousand knives, and yet, they stood in painful and almost excruciating silence. Their usually cold masks of indifference were now marred with tremors of shock. The usually frosty eyes were now burning with the fire of outrage, and the stiff and proper demeanors were now shaking with suppressed rage and staggering distress.

And why wouldn't they be furious? Why wouldn't they be distressed? _Everything_ that they had known was killed off as nothing more than an ignorant fantasy.

These few engulfing moments of silence would be remembered in history as the Minutes of Emergence, and sometimes even as the Stirring of the Cauldron. It was the calm before the storm…before it would erupt as violently inside the manor as it was currently thundering outside. The sound of rain as it clashed against the ground outside did not disturb the witches and wizards inside from their breakdown. However, it was only a matter of time.

All through this, crimson eyes looked on, seemingly apathetic to the situation.

However, looking closely one would notice the _rage_ that clouded the Dark Lord's eyes. Rage that he had to wait so long to tell his subjects what the reality was. Fury at how it came to this point…at how Magic had been so careless, and at the self-righteousness of the Light Lord.

However, one would also notice _satisfaction_. His eyes reflected the satisfaction that _they_ finally knew the truth…that they had finally taken another step towards their goal. His fingers twitched, feeling the incessant need to curse _something_ or _someone_, preferably a member of the Order of Phoenix. But that could be done later.

Because at the moment, he could only wait for the silence to be broken. He could only wait until the moment when the shock would fade away, to be replaced by the hysterical fury that would be soon to erupt.

Closing his eyes, the Dark Lord let a small and barely noticeable curve of his lips burn into his features. Just a few more seconds…

The intricately designed chandelier above their heads trembled and flickered as a furious wizard lost his composure and accidentally let some of his raw magic loose in the already tense air. Delicate pieces of glass gently touched each other, creating a soft and barely noticeable sound. The magic brushed against the glass once more, harshly this time. The gentle sound of glass against glass broke through the silence again, drawing more attention than the pounding rain and roaring clouds outside.

…_Ting._

The chandelier shook and the tension increased to an almost unbearably degree. The occupants of the room were hesitant to even breathe loudly as the beautifully innocent sound of glass against glass overshadowed the raucous thunder.

_Ting! Ting! Ting! _

A low growl was heard across the room, a menacing snarl that could only be from a werewolf. The harsh sound cracked through the mental barrier that they had all formed around their emotions. Another growl was heard as it broke through the trance of the seemingly — and quite _ridiculously_ for the situation — enchanting sound of glass upon glass.

And it all came crashing down.

It was as if insanity had swept through them all, eating them from inside as they succumbed to the outrage that they all felt. This anger and sorrow was like a double edged sword. It was a poison that promised to strike not only their enemies but also their own selves. While they felt anger for the enemy, they also felt hatred towards themselves and regret for not seeing this truth before. But they were strong, and they would sustain. Because after years of discrimination, they had seen the light to guide them across…and so they would endure, and this phase would pass. After waiting for this day for so long, they would not let something as petty as regret draw them back.

And through the chaos, Voldemort stood regally, his face devoid of any expression. Of course, he had expected this…the outrage and fury was predictable.

…And it was all singularly directed towards the Light Lord.

And _this_ was _exactly_ where the problem was.

It was crucial for the council to know that this war was not against Albus Dumbledore, but against every oppressive action made against the dark magical beings. While Dumbledore was the Light Lord, and thus it was his responsibility to control discrimination and to ensure equality, the major flaw in the world was ignorance. The general population was very easily swayed by any information that sounded legitimate and well researched.

The situation was not small enough to hold only one person accountable. No, the war was too big to be declared against _just_ the Light Lord.

If Dumbledore _was_ responsible for _everything_ done against the dark population, then that would not explain the hatred against the Dark in countries where Dumbledore _did not_ have supreme influence. There had to be _something_ that was influencing the masses to blindly discriminate against them.

Countries in North America, South America, and Asia were not touched by Dumbledore, and yet they all had laws against dark magic. The same went for Australia and Africa. So that made it obvious that these countries had different political leaders that were manipulating the population into this blind hatred against anything not "light".

However, while Dumbledore did have considerable influence over the people of Europe, he did not have many followers in countries of other continents. So then, how were these different countries making laws against the dark?

It was a mystery.

…_Unless_, there was something that Voldemort did not know.

This was one of the main reasons why _the meeting_ was of such great consequence regarding the circumstances. Because there was a very good reason to believe that Dumbledore had already called in a part of his council, and had already set up the leaders in every single country. However, if this was not the case, and if Dumbledore was not the reason why countries all over the world were passing bills and laws against the dark, then the situation would be much worse than previously imagined. It meant that there was another—

Voldemort's musings were cut off as vicious arguments echoed through the magically enlarged throne room. His eyes narrowing dangerously, he raised his wand, muttering a spell as his aura darkened. Silence filled the room once more as all occupants turned to look at the Dark Lord.

"_Please_, my friends…" Voldemort drawled mockingly, though the glint in his eyes was not to be taken lightly "Let us all maintain some decorum, shall we?"

The words, while devoid of any threats, had an underlying message that they all understood. As a whole, the council bowed down to the Lord in respect and acknowledgment as Voldemort lifted the silencing spell. The sight was one almost never seen. Here they were, innumerable magical beings, from almost every country, standing in a magically enlarged room… as one.

Without conflicts, they listened to _one_ voice, in silence.

They went on forever with no end and no beginning… the large number was _astounding_, and for once, none of them were particularly bothered as their bodies ever so slightly brushed against each other.

"Now, I more than understand your _rage_ at the one you think is responsible for the instability of this world. However, my faithful council, you are to know and understand that the blame lies not in one man. Do not let your anger fall over your ability to _think_. The world currently consists of a population of seven billion. Of the seven billion, _half_ are magical beings, and half of those magical beings are dark, while the other half are light. Out of the one hundred and ninety six countries in this world, every country has at least a small number of witches, wizards, and creatures, and more than half of these countries have laws against the usage of dark magic. But the fact lies herein that not every one of these countries are under Albus Dumbledore's influence.

"In reality, the Light Lord has direct influence only in European countries, and _maybe_ a few others through his connections in the International Confederation of Wizards.

"How then," Voldemort whispered, his voice echoing through the room as effected by the Sonorous charm "are these countries being influenced to discriminate? The knowledge that you have been told today has been forgotten by the common public. Nevertheless, Lords in the past have always maintained equality… an equality that was only disturbed under Lord Grindelwald and Lord Dumbledore. But as you have been told, Dumbledore does not have the influence to control all the countries in the world. Who then, is moving these countries along to set up laws against our magic?"

His crimson eyes raked through the room, looking for something that only he could find. Seemingly satisfied, Voldemort nodded ever so slightly, before slowly drawing his wand from his robes.

The occupants of the room tensed once more, bracing themselves for an attack that would never come. While most of the magical beings in the room had never met him, they had indeed heard the rumors about an unforgiving Dark Lord of Britain. Every single one of the _inconceivable_ number of people in the room knew that this man was not one to be taken lightly.

No matter how admirable his goals seemed to be, the Dark Lord was not a kind man.

He was known for his cruelty, and for his rather… _interesting_ ways of persuasion.

Shuddering, they watched intently as the wand was gracefully wielded, emanating a strange magic as foreign words were mumbled in a hissing tone. A strange red light overpowered the room, blinding those who were closest. They all watched with bated breath as many flinched, clearly expecting the Cruciatus curse to hit an unsuspecting victim. The light faded away and many of them blinked at the site. There, in midair, entwined together with magical "strings", was –

…A map of the world.

Europe was in the center, with _all_ its countries in white, and marked with a red dot in the center. Asia and Africa were painted black, and so were North and South America. However, even in these four other continents, the red dots could be seen in most countries.

"There are not many laws in this world that are essential for our survival. But the most important one is currently on the verge of getting _crushed_. All the countries marked in white are under the influence of Dumbledore, and thus have a red dot marking the existence of laws against our magic and our affinity. The countries marked in black are those that have most probably never heard of him, and yet the red is eminent."

They looked on, as their already frigid eyes hardened into piercing ice. A vicious roar could be heard outside as thunder struck once more, imitating the fury that was burning inside the room. The sound lingered and eventually faded as they were left in that overpowering silence once more.

And then, a single word flew out of the Dark Lord's mouth, leaving them to feel the effects of the _intensity_ of just that one word, "…Why?"

That one word released such power that even the most impressive could not stop as they caught their very breaths… because if the answer to that question was to be found, it could be the solution to a number of problems, and possibly a _solid_ plan for the future.

"In all of these countries – with the exception of countries in Europe – the laws that bind the usage of our magic were only passed sometime in the last forty years. It is a rather mysterious and questionable occurrence that needs to be investigated _immediately_. For if this continues, the dark _will_ lose support in all countries that currently give us equal rights. The amount of dark magic that is currently being practiced in our world is decreasing with every moment of negligence. Every single year, I feel our magic withering as we are oppressed beyond our capacity to endure. We cannot live without our magic, and as the thickness of dark magic lessens around us, every single child with this affinity will be denied the nourishment that it needs. The atmosphere of dark magic is _thinning_ around us, as the light magic gets thicker and thicker.

"Why is it that the number of squibs is increasing in Dark families? After all, magic is what stops these occurrences from happening, and magic is the reason why breeding amongst families does not weaken or distort us! Then why is it, that pureblood dark families are birthing more and more squibs?

"It is because our children are not getting the nourishment that they deserve! They are not getting what is their right to get! Every child that is to be born _needs _a healthy amount of magic of their affinity… without it certain crucial parts are hindered in their growth, resulting in a complete distortion of their magical ability to channel! Why is it that witches are dying during childbirth while this occurrence is almost unheard of in the magical community? Because the beautiful creatures that grow inside them are draining their magic away!

"The more laws that are made to stop us from practicing our magic, the more our magic thins in the air. And as dark magic thins, so does the population of dark witches and wizards… the children who were to have this core are instead given the curse of being a _muggle_."

His rich voice was captivating as he spoke, his powerful tone giving them tremors with every word that came from his mouth. His magic curled around them all protectively, as if _warning_ their enemies of the consequences of hurting _his_ people. Voldemort's voice lowered to nothing more than a whisper, as the council raised their heads in anticipation.

"…And _what_ is the result of this change in numbers?"

The Dark Lord raised his long fingers in the air, slowly bringing his middle finger and thumb together. And with a loud _snap_ of his fingers, the map in front of their eyes slowly turned completely white as red dots appeared in all the countries… it was depicting the oppressiveness against the dark to be taken into every single community in the world, which would indeed lead to the "change in numbers" of dark magical beings.

_Boom! _

The sound echoed through the room as Europe annihilated itself on the map, and a _dirty_ and _oily_ form of magic flew towards them. The few people closest to the map drew their hands towards their faces instinctively, while others drew their wands to protect themselves from this foreign magic. There was no need, as shields appeared around them a mere second before it hit them.

The substance stuck to the complex shields, slowly _rotting_ the purity away, and burning through the various layers. Everything that this _strange_ substance touched would _age_ and eventually decay. And just when they thought that the show was over, the map _destructed_ itself as all the continents burst open, pouring the "oily" magic once more.

The brown, filthy substance wiped away the layers of the shield as if it was nothing, radiating a kind of…slime…that burned through all magic that it touched. Their eyes reflected the fear that they felt as magic disintegrated into something they had never seen before.

And just as the last flimsy layers of the once powerful shield wiped away, the foreign magic…disappeared.

The stoic faces had transformed into genuine expressions of relief. For these hardened, traditional witches and wizards to be dropping their "formal" act would have been horrifying, had it been a different situation. But for today, they could make an exception… just today.

"Most of you may be aware of the results of magical decay, but for those who are not, magical decay can be a dangerous occurrence." The Dark Lord drawled, "Like everything else, magic _does_ decay, and unfortunately the effects are not very…pleasant. Magical decay does not occur unless there is a shift in balance of magic in the spell. The only types of magic that decay are those that are either completely dark or completely light, or those that are off balance.

"If a non-neutral spell or its residue is left alone with no change whatsoever, it will begin to _rot _and _age. _And for this reason, many long-lasting spells are neutral. Offensive and defensive magic are either light or dark, reason being the fact that these spells use all the magic they contain in either harming or defending, leaving no residue that can possible decay…. If a non-neutral shield spell is cast, and is left unattended, without any addition to its magic and without anything draining it away, it will eventually start rotting. But if a neutral shield is cast with its affinity to neither dark nor light magic, it can stay there _forever_ without rotting. It is for this reason that spells for time travel and preservation are neutral.

"However, all this is not a problem. It is not a problem because, strictly speaking, all non-neutral spells are designed so that their energy is used in any way possible to stop the decay. As for neutral spells, they never did pose to be a hindrance."

The Dark Lord's eyes raked through the council once more, his voice breaking the silence that had been cast for just a few seconds "The _problem_ arises when the magic in the air, which is indeed supposed to be _neutral_ with equal amounts of dark and light, begins to _decay_ at a rate that would undoubtedly guarantee the end of this world, muggles and wizards alike.

"You are witches and wizards of… _adequate_ intelligence. I hope that you have indeed understood _what_ the results of this shift in balance are, and why. The magic around us is supposed to be neutral. Neutral magic is not meant to be used disproportionately. All dark witches and wizards draw some amounts of dark magic from the air, and all light witches and wizards draw light magic. Our bodies _always_ draw magic every few seconds. However, every time we do a spell of out affinity, we also _give back_ the magic that we take. It is a cycle that is meant to be followed at all times.

"Due to the fact that these laws stop many dark magical beings from doing dark magic, _we always draw magic from the air_, but we _never give back_. The dark magic keeps accumulating inside us, but the magic in the air gets weaker and weaker due to the fact that we are never able to return, as we are never able to do any spells. When the new generations are born, they do not get to draw enough magic, and that leads to more squibs and deaths. The population of our people decreases, disrupting the balance between muggles and wizards.

"Throughout our lives, we are multiplying the magical particles inside us, and our cores create more magic than they draw from the atmospheric magic. When we die, our cores are meant to give back all the magic that they contained and more, but because our kind of magic has not been used in a long time, our cores misinterpret the situation. Instead of returning the magic, the magic instead starts to _rot_ and _decay_."

Voldemort's hands shook in what could have been rage or sorrow as he whispered "And that magic is never returned to where a lot of it came from. With every death and birth of a person with a dark magical affinity, we get stronger but the dark atmospheric magic gets weaker. The population decreases, and our magic _rots_. Because of the sudden decrease of dark magic in the air, the neutrality has been severely disrupted. If we give it just a few more decades, the magic will start decaying.

"The little show with the map was not even one percent of what the real damage will be. As the atmospheric magic will decay, it will _kill_ everything that it touches, much like how it was killing the shields. However, it will not just affect the magic, my friends. It will affect _you_. There are always particles of magic inside us as we breathe, eat, and even as we sleep. Magic dominates _everything_. As our magic decays, it will release a _filthy_ kind of energy that will be fatal to every race that lives on this planet. It will go under your skin, reside in your cells, and it _proliferate_. When it resides inside every cell of your body, and when it is done destroying and decaying your core, it will _burst_ through your body, leaving… nothing.

"The muggles and wizards will be dead in just hours. It will destroy all the _technology_; it will trigger all radioactive substances and muggle "atomic" weapons."

The Dark Lord paused for a few long seconds, before his expressionless mask morphed into ruthless ice "The world will _end_."

Silence dominated the room once more as many closed their eyes in grief. This time, there was no anger that would cause glass to break. There was no fury that would cause the chandelier to shake. There was only a sense of shock, there was only sorrow… there was only emptiness. Every single person occupying the room had only imagined what this meeting would be about. Out of all the things, they certainly had not expected this. They had not expected to hear such a…_shattering_ truth.

"I am not going to lie to you all. I am not going to say that this can be mended in just a few short months. No, my faithful council… this is the result of _years_ of imbalance, and it _will _take years to fix…and there is indeed only one way to fix it."

While the question '_How_?' was not verbally articulated, every single person still heard it as it echoed in all their minds. The loud crashes of thunder outside had now mellowed down to just rain, as the storm passed. The worst of all revelations was over… and the weather outside only mirrored their situation.

"I must urge you to remember that the best solutions are not the most complex ones… to fix the world, we need to first fix the _root_. The problems start with the discrimination and oppressive laws and that is where they will end. There is war looming in the wizarding world; the common public is getting agitated. The light wizards believe the dark to be evil, and the dark believe the light to be arrogant and ignorant. Tensions are rising between countries; many powerful countries have not yet been touched by the discrimination against the dark, while many other countries are already oppressing the dark. There _will_ be a war between these countries.

"And as I had mentioned before, every war in the Wizarding World _will_ be mirrored in the Muggle World. I, as one wizard alone, have gathered as much information as I can, and I have worked as much as I can. With the appearance of a new lord, of my new heir, I have been able to call the council and I have been able to disclose this to you. I need your help, for I cannot do this alone. What you have been told today is crucial to the stability of our world, and I cannot stress how important it is for you all to know and understand that this information _cannot_ be given out to the public.

"If at any given moment I sense reluctance in you to contribute to our cause, you will be oblivitated. If we are ever to find a traitor in the midst of this council, _you will not escape_. Your fate shall be one worse than death itself, and I will not be afraid to do to you what was done to Gellert Grindelwald. Keep in mind, that spell used against Grindelwald was meant for magical _lords_. The effect that it would have on an average wizard is something you will not wish to know. And by all means, my faithful council, you are indeed permitted to inform your families of _The Balance_ and _nothing more_. However, if any from your families are found to be traitors or are found to inform an outsider of our plans, _you _as well as your _family_ shall be punished most severely. Let it be known that the moment someone is told of the "Balance of Magic", they are under the oath of secrecy. And if _anyone_ is given any information other than the Balance, they … shall …be …_killed_." The intensity of his voice was one that terrified even the strongest of all wizards, sending them into a freezing silence.

"If you are not a traitor, you have nothing to fear. I am your Lord, and I _will_ protect you as my people. My wrath shall be felt by all who betray us, by all who have wronged us, and by all who wish to stop us."

His fury was felt by them all as they shivered under the intensity of his voice. His was truly a royal figure, with his aristocratic features and his commanding presence. His voice could stop countless people to just _listen_. He was a man of dignity and grace, and at the same time one who was ruthless and cruel. He could be kind, in rare cases, but his kindness had not yet been seen. There couldn't be a better Lord to lead them towards the right path.

"I believe that what you have been told today is not something that you will immediately accept. We have not yet talked about the future, but we will do so in the next meeting. We are required to take action as soon as possible, and we _will_ do so. Before I adjourn this meeting, I ask you all if there is anything you would wish to…_address_?"

Not a word was spoken as witches and wizards alike merely looked around, waiting for someone to bow and speak his mind. Voldemort was not surprised as a single figure bowed, and drew his wand to show the silver light that it radiated. The man raised his piercing grey eyes questioningly, his blond hair shining in the low light of the magical chandelier.

"You may speak, Lord Malfoy." The Dark Lord pronounced, calling the man by the appropriate title. There was no need to call him by his first name. The hierarchy had been established even before the council arrived.

"My Lord," Lucius Malfoy bowed gracefully, looking every bit of the Malfoy that he was "If I may ask, are we to meet the Prince?"

Ah, Harrison.

Voldemort had known that this question would be on the minds of every single person this night. It was a pity really, that they could not meet Harrison as he had planned.

It seemed as if he had left out a detail when he had made this decision two months ago. Harrison could not meet the council until his…_meeting_… with the mutts was done and over with. "You shall not be meeting my heir tonight, as I had planned."

Voldemort did not disclose any further information, and they knew he would say no more.

They stood there in a trance as his gaze washed through the room, his vicious smirk and penetrating eyes freezing them in their places. It was enchanting… the power he emanated was _addicting_. Those red eyes could gaze inside their souls and dig out their deepest secrets. To an outsider looking on, the people would seem as if they were someplace far…their eyes were distant, as if spellbound by something… or someone.

Sharp and graceful clanks of the Dark Lord's polished shoes broke through the silence, and the spell shattered, bringing them back to life.

A majestic aura surrounded him as he spoke, his voice being heard by all as he drew his want regally, lighting the tip with vivacious fire "_Geminos iungant_."… Let the twins unite.

"…_Geminos iungant." _Countless regal voices murmured through the room, their wands lighting up vibrantly…it was truly a remarkable site, as fire lighted the previously dull room into flamboyant beauty.

The lifeless throne room was only but a memory as individual flames flew in the air, creating exquisite shapes as they danced right into the conjured candles. They revolved around the ceiling, and around the dim chandelier, as they twirled past the dark windows.

But brightest portion of the room was not the shining flames… No, the brightest portion of the room was the sparkling eyes …Because for the first time, these eyes sparked the flames of _hope_… of _purpose_.

And in the midst of it all, one man smiled, his face glowing for the first time in many years in genuine happiness. It was like—as cliché and ironic as it sounds—_magic_. That one smile was contagious, and soon, they all lit up brighter than the lumos charm, their lips unconsciously curving into something rarely seen on their faces.

Yes, these men and women remained to be cruel.

They remained to be tainted by the world, and to be scarred by their lives. And yes, there were indeed large matters that now rested on their shoulders.

But once… just this once, they could all afford to _forget_. And they could all just enjoy the moment of peace…because they _knew_ and they had the _knowledge_. Even if they were to lose their wealth and their homes, and even if their vaults were stolen, there was one thing that _not a single person_ could steal from them …their knowledge.

Of course, there is memory erasing spells that could steal these truths from them. But it does not do to forget that these remarkable people are _the council_ of the dark. They are not the council for _nothing_. After all, who would they be if they could not block even a simple memory spell?

Now only Merlin could look over the _oppressors_, because the council had just been summoned. After years of waiting, they were finally _alive_. Their eyes had burned with the fire of passion, and their lips had curved into the spirit of desire… desire for _freedom_.

Even as the Dark Lord proudly announced "The first meeting of the council is now dismissed." and even as they swirled with their portkeys back to their homes…the devilish light in their eyes did not fade away.

Outside the magnificent manor, the storm was over, and the stars were shining above.

* * *

><p><strong>Lord's Office, Argent Manor<br>Slytherin Citadel  
>Unknown Location<strong>

Sirius Black had seen many things in life. And yet… he did not expect _this_.

As the portkey landed, Sirius closed his eyes, taking in a deep and hopefully calming breath. He knew that as soon as he opened his eyes, he would see the lavish insides of Grimmauld Place. But for now…he lived in the past.

He had seen worst kinds of cruelty and brutality. He had experienced rejection from the world in the most excruciatingly painful way. He had been betrayed, hurt, and _torn_.

And yet, there was nothing in this world that could have possibly prepared him for this.

His mind was spinning in circles… he felt as if he was walking through a maze, with absolutely no inkling as to how to get back. Even as his body was viciously thrown about by the portkey, Sirius Orion Black felt nothing but a kind of a…_sadistic_ happiness. His heart was filled with unrestrained glee, and his eyes had darkened with pleasure.

Despite being against torture and cruelty in general, Sirius was still a _Black_. And while many may believe that there was no reason for the _insanity_ and hint of malice that all Blacks had, the truth was that every single Black to walk through the Wizarding World had been wronged in some way or the other. Many who had once been "good" ended up turning into monsters due to the preconceived notions that the public held for them.

A prime example of such a situation was Sirius.

Not to forget the fact that even the _squibs_ born in the Black family grew to despise the Light, like his Great Uncle Marius, who had been disowned due to his status.

As a young boy, Sirius had always wondered why even the "good" people of the family, like Uncle Alphard, seemed to hold a dislike for the light side. Now at least, he understood. While they might not have known the "truth", the… _dislike_… seemed to be instinctual.

It seemed that the animosity between the Dark and Light Lords seemed to reflect on the population. Even though they had not known anything about the reality, it was as if their cores knew all along that there was something wrong.

After everything that had been shoved brutally into his mind, Sirius still did not understand the true _magnitude _of the situation… the true magnitude of everything that he had found out today.

Or maybe it was just that after being through so much, the biggest of situations did not bother him. Any normal person would be feeling shock and despair of the largest degree. But Sirius Orion Black just felt merciless elation. He knew that the Dark Lord would not be gentle in his treatment of Dumbledore… he was elated that the old goat would get what he deserved.

However, the majority of Sirius's happiness came from the fact that he now knew with prominent confidence that he did indeed have a dark core, and that soon… himself and his family would be able to practice their magic.

As a young boy, Sirius had often fooled himself into believing that he was a Light wizard. He incessantly scolded himself about his magical orientation… to such a degree that he soon forgot who he really was. While his family had indeed accepted him, it felt good to _officially_ know that he belonged.

However, even though his reaction for the night was not overwhelming him with anger, he did indeed have a breaking point. And once that breaking point was reached, nothing could stop him from—

Sirius was broken from his thoughts, his blissful smile straightening into an angry line as he heard the exclamation of shock from his grandfather. How _odd_… his grandfather _never_ lost his composure… so why was he yelling? Cautiously opening his eyes, Sirius had been expecting the luxurious study of Grimmauld Place. Instead, what he saw was a formal office, decorated in royal green and silver colors. Expensive furniture – clearly belonging to a pureblood – and the sacred Slytherin crest proudly occupied the room.

Swiftly, he turned his head towards his Grandfather and Father, their identical grey eyes perfectly mirroring his emotions. Was the portkey tampered with? The question did not have an answer that could be determined at the given moment.

Hot, boiling rage drowned all emotions inside him. Who would _dare_ to possibly tamper with portkeys meant for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black? His ferocious anger wiped away all coherent thoughts, barely letting him think rationally. And just as he drew his wand, ready to blast through the first thing he saw—

_Swish!_

A discarded portkey flew towards him, making him draw up a quick shield. The portkey hit the shield and harmlessly clattered to the ground. However, their attention wasn't on the fallen item, but instead on the two figures sprawled across the floor. Sirius saw a sneer form on his father's lips, and he felt more than saw the superior mask on his grandfather's aristocratic face.

The Blacks were purebloods of the highest status; such _unbecoming_ and rather… _undignified _way of landing was something to look down upon.

Of course, the superior looks melted into comical expressions of shock when they saw exactly _who_ was sprawled on the floor…Because there on the expensive and soft carpet, were two men of strong stature as they slowly stood on their feet, clearly disheveled and in a state of astonishment; Remus Lupin and Fenrir Greyback.

While Arcturus and Orion lost their composures because of the appearance of one of the most powerful werewolf Alphas, Fenrir Greyback and his second-in-command who also happened to be Sirius's former friend, Sirius was gaping in disbelief for a completely different reason.

Moony… it was _Moony_ who was standing in front of him, looking around the room in amazement. It was those warm amber eyes that widened as they saw the rare books and tomes. Sirius almost laughed… the way he moved, what he looked at… it was so _Moony_.

As those amber eyes turned towards him with unrestrained devastation, the moment collapsed, and everything came crashing down.

They had not seen each other since Lily and James had committed their repulsive acts.

With a jolt of realization, Sirius was ashamed as he remembered that not once did he try to contact Moony. But once again, it was happiness that overpowered as another realization hit him… they won't have to fight against each other in the upcoming war! They were on the _same side_. And in a fleeting moment, they crashed into each other.

"_Sirius_… Sirius, my brother…" Remus whispered, wrapping his arms around his friend into a tight embrace. Sirius could only hug his friend firmly… at least there was one person that did not betray him; at least there was _one_ person whom he could take with him into his new world.

Gently letting go of him, Sirius stared straight into Remus's eyes for the first time, stiffening as he felt something shift in the amber color. If he was not mistaken… did he just see gold?

Why were his eyes gold?

But was he entirely missed was the darkness that bloomed in the gold; the crazed puddle that stained the purity of his eyes. What he completely overlooked was the thirst for revenge and the ruthless insanity… the same things that were _very much visible_ in Sirius's own eyes.

A low growl was heard across the room as Greyback muttered to himself "What sort of game is this? The place smells of…"

His murmurs were interrupted by Orion's cultured voice "We have reason to believe that the portkey has been tampered with. This is not a mere mistake. But _where_ are we?"

The answer to their most important question was answered as a harsh, popping sound was heard across the room, with the unexpected arrival of small house elf. The large tennis ball shaped eyes looked up at them shyly as it spoke "Twinky is being told by Master Dark Lord to serve sirs while he comes. Master is being meeting with foreign men right now."

And with that, Twinky disappeared once more, leaving the five men in a state of complete and utter shock.

Of course, the astonishment was well concealed. After all, it would not do to show unnecessary emotions in front of people they did not completely trust. While Sirius trusted his family and Remus, there was no reason for him to have faith in Fenrir Greyback, even though he was indeed the alpha of Remus's pack. They all knew that an alpha would go to _all_ lengths to protect his pack. And Sirius was not ready to jeopardize his family.

But all these thoughts were merely insignificant as they comprehended exactly _where_ they all, it is not every day that a portkey leads you straight inside the Dark Lord's office.

Outside the manor, stars were preparing to shine as they eagerly awaited the clouds to move.

* * *

><p><strong>Throne Room, Argent Manor<br>Slytherin Citadel  
>Unknown location <strong>

Voldemort watched intently as the countless witches and wizards swirled out of existence… all but _two_. As bewilderment settled into the faces of the two majestic wizards, he could feel his lips curve into a mocking smirk.

At the same time as the two wizards turned to look at him, Voldemort felt a shift in the manor's magic.

The powerful wards, built with thousands of layers—the result of perfection over centuries—bent, allowing only three wizards and two werewolves entrance into his office. Of course, they were not permitted into his private study; that luxury was granted only to Harrison.

And with the tracking charm that he had placed on his son, the Dark Lord could very well tell that Harrison was extremely agitated as he paced back and forth in his study. Clearly, his young heir had been expecting a house elf to fetch him to be introduced to the council.

But unfortunately, that day would not be today. There was something to be taken care of before Harrison could meet the council.

His face devoid of emotions, Voldemort turned his attention back towards the two wizards.

* * *

><p>His fingers trembled as he held the portkey in his hand, saying the words for activation once more.<p>

The language slipped from his mouth in a warm, velvety accent. His midnight black hair shined in the light as he incessantly tried to work his tool of transportation. His dignified posture did not shake, despite the hesitance in his fingers. The smooth, brown skin of his face was not yet glistened in perspiration, as many in his position would be sweating in his situation.

Surprisingly, he had handled this new gain of knowledge well, though it did indeed leave him with weariness and confusion.

Warm brown eyes surveyed the room, finding only one other man, whom he could identify as one of the high ranking purebloods of Greece; Lord Adrastos Helios Megalos. The Megalos family had long since been the aristocrats and the "ruling family" of Greece, though their family was not _formally_ involved in politics. The Megalos were mostly a family of scholars, and while they did not hold office, they had their ways. They liked to work under the shadows, much like how his own family functioned in the world

Sighing tiredly, Lord Aadesh Vikram Singh gave the portkey a searching look before swiftly brandishing his wand.

"The portkeys will not work, Lords Megalos and Singh." The Dark Lord's smooth voice interrupted them, his bored expression morphing into a rather taunting smirk "And rest assured that the portkeys are not indeed faulty. They have been simply…ah…_disabled_ for the time."

Eyes widening ever so slightly, both the occupants bowed deeply to the Dark Lord. The tense—at least for the two foreign wizards—silence was broken as Adrastos's accented voice was heard across the room "We apologize for not realizing sooner, My Lord."

The Dark Lord's face smoothed into an expressionless mask once more as his deep red eyes bore into the very souls of the two men. It was only after what seemed like years that he spoke again "You are both high ranking wizards in our world, from two countries that are highly important in the magical world; India and Greece. Both the countries have a rather _interesting_ history, and even more interesting traditions and outlooks… wouldn't you agree? And going by the recent knowledge you just gained upon the balance, it does seem like these two countries are going to be playing major roles, does it not?"

The two regal wizards seemed to exactly know what he was talking about, if anything was to be said by their sudden change of posture and the intense expression on their faces.

"I believe we have something to discuss, Lords Singh and Megalos."

* * *

><p><strong>Lord's Personal Study, Argent Manor<br>Slytherin Citadel  
>Unknown Location <strong>

Harrison was _extremely_ frustrated.

It had been hours since he had been left in his father's study, and the fact that he had not been summoned to be introduced to the council was not something that particularly pleased him. After all, his father had promised him that he would be introduced, did he not? Harrison had patiently waited for hours when a house elf had come to inform him that the council meeting was over and that his father was currently "meeting" with foreign wizards…but what about Sirius and Remus? Wasn't he supposed to meet them today?

He knew that his father did not lie to him. The Dark Lord was a man of his word… well, not _always_, but Harrison liked to believe that he always kept his word when it came to his son.

There _must_ have been a good reason for him not to be introduced to the council. Perhaps his father thought that he was not ready? Just the thought of disappointing the man who took him in struck something in his heart… No… his father did indeed say that he was ready. He would not go back on his statement.

Another disappointed sigh escaped his mouth as he sat on the comfortable chair in front of his father's desk, his perturbed thoughts circling his mind.

_Hours_…It had been _hours_ since he had been left here.

Even the council meeting was over! Then why was it that his father was not back yet? In the name of Merlin, Harrison would even be pleased to see _Nagini_. Anything was better than no information.

And just as Harrison was about to get up and hiss for Nagini, the door slammed open, revealing a rather…_imposing _figure.

"…_Father?_ When did you—" Harrison's childish voice was deep with shock and joy as he recognized the figure.

Opening his mouth once more, he was immediately silenced by a meaningful glance and glare from his father. In mere seconds, his emotions had disappeared from his face and his change in posture and speech portrayed a completely different personality. However, the warmth in his large green eyes remained. For that warmth was reserved only in the presence of his father, or in the presence of those who had his complete and utter trust.

"Father, it is good to be in your c-company after a long evening of your absence." Harrison drawled, drawing a brief expression of pride and approval on his father's face... despite slipping on the words too big for his young mind "May I en-enquire upon what you said earlier this evening?"

Voldemort's penetrating red eyes gazed into warm green as his deep voice echoed through the room "I apologize for going back on my statement. You _will_ be introduced to some members of the council, but not all. That day, unfortunately, is not today… I believe there is something of greater importance to be taken care of at the moment, before you can be introduced. We shall go meet your mutts and their…_families_ – or _pack _as the other would prefer – now."

The Dark Lord allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he watched his heir's face light up in elation.

Outside the manor, the clouds had disappeared completely as the stars shined brightly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:<strong>__ OH-MY-GOD! __**I GOT 110 REVIEWS.**__ 110!  
>Thank you so much for this, you have no idea how happy I am!<br>Next update will be faster than you expect ;)  
>Question time: What do you think of the theory behind the balance? Like it? What do you think is the reason why Voldemort wants to meet Sirius and Remus? What do you think of Lord Singh and Lord Megalos?<br>Poll: __**TIME SKIP AFTER THIS CHAPTER OR NO?**__ (The next chapter will show the meeting between Voldemort and the mutts, and THEN time skip)  
><em>_**SLASH OR NO SLASH? WHAT PAIRINGS?  
>HOGWARTS, DURMSTRANG, HOMESCHOOLED, or ALL? <strong>_

_**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!  
>If you review, the update will be MUCH faster... maybe in just two weeks? ;)<br>SO REVIEW! YOUR REVIEWS WILL BE REWARDED  
><strong>_


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